CAS reject Bora-Hansgrohe appeal to return Sagan to Tour de France

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An urgent appeal by Peter Sagan and the Bora-Hansgrohe team to have the world champion returned to the Tour de France peloton was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday.

Sagan was excluded from the Tour de France on Tuesday evening after his manoeuvre on the stage 4 finish sent Mark Cavendish crashing into the barriers. Cavendish was forced to abandon the race with a broken shoulder blade. Other riders were injured in the knock-on effects of the crash.

The decision to expel Sagan has proved a controversial one, but in an appeal heard on Thursday, CAS upheld the UCI commissaires' decision to remove the Slovak from the Tour.

In a typically brief statement from CAS issued just minutes before the end of the Tour's stage 6, the Swiss arbitration body said it had rejected the appeal by Sagan and the Denk ProCycling team. "Accordingly, Peter Sagan remains disqualified from the 2017 Tour de France."

After the crash on Tuesday evening, Sagan said he accepted the UCI decision but disagreed with it and he has since issued an apology for what happened.

The Bora-Hansgrohe team were adamant that Sagan had done no wrongdoing, claiming that Sagan was denied a hearing with the race jury before being expelled. They said in an earlier press statement before the appeal was heard that, "The team and Peter Sagan would like to reiterate their position that Peter Sagan did not cause, let alone deliberately, the fall of Mark Cavendish on the last 200m of the fourth stage on July 4, 2017."

"Peter Sagan stayed on his line and could not see Mark Cavendish on the right side."

Bora-Hansgrohe have yet to comment on the final decision.

More on this story:

• Peter Sagan disqualified from Tour de France
• Tour de France: Riders past and present shocked by Peter Sagan's DSQ
• Tour de France: Sagan sparks Cavendish crash - Gallery
• Rolf Aldag: This is a loss, loss, loss situation for all
• Should Peter Sagan have been disqualified from the Tour de France? Hell, no…
• Peter Sagan: A look at previous disqualifications at the Tour de France
• Tour de France: Cavendish, Sagan final words on crash
• Bora-Hansgrohe appeal to CAS to reverse Sagan's Tour de France expulsion

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