Caleb Ewan relegated for headbutting Philipsen at Tour Down Under - Video

Jasper Philpsen and Caleb Ewan battle for the line at the end of stage 5 at the Tour Down Under

Jasper Philpsen and Caleb Ewan battle for the line at the end of stage 5 at the Tour Down Under (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) took his first WorldTour victory on stage 5 of the Tour Down Under, following the relegation of Lotto Soudal's Caleb Ewan for 'irregular sprinting'.

Ewan was adjudged to have directed his head towards Philipsen in the final few hundred metres of the stage and the race jury relegated the Australian sprinter to 83rd position. The relegation moved Philipsen up to first place – just five days into his WorldTour career – with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Danny van Poppel (Jumbo-Visma) finishing second and third, respectively.

Race leader Patrick Bevin (CCC Team) was involved in a heavy crash in the final 10km of the stage, and despite being able to finish in the lead group, retaining the leader's ochre jersey, was rushed to hospital immediately after the stage.

The final stage of the 2019 Tour Down Under will crescendo tomorrow with two ascents of Willunga Hill, where Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) has won in the past five editions of the race, with the general classification battle remaining poised.

Click here for our full stage 5 report, images and results from the Tour Down Under.

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