Luke Rowe of Team Ineos and Jumbo-Visma’s Tony Martin have apologised in a joint video interview after both riders were expelled from the Tour de France following an incident towards the end of today’s Stage 17 into Gap, although both insist that the decision to disqualify them was too harsh. Both teams plan to appeal the decision.
A joint interview with @LukeRowe1990 and @JumboVismaRoad's @tonymartin85 about today's disqualification from #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/MPEqwWi7yv
— Team INEOS (@TeamINEOS) July 24, 2019
Video showed Martin apparently swerving towards Rowe, almost forcing him off the road, before the Welshman then seems to shove the German.
Look what Rowe did. pic.twitter.com/zBqKRYr6ed
— kd (@kd2357) July 24, 2019
The expulsions, made by the UCI race jury, deprive Team Ineos of its road captain as Geraint Thomas seeks to defend his title, and Jumbo-Visma’s Steven Kruijswijk of a key team member as the race heads into the Alps.
Thomas currently sits second on General Classification, 1 minute 35 seconds behind race leader Julian Alaphilippe of Deceuninck-Quick Step, with Kruijswijk – now down to five team-mates – a further 12 seconds back in third place.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.