Cavendish rival Sagan out of Tour de France

SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHATEUX, France: Seven-time winner of the Tour de France green sprint points jersey Peter Sagan dropped out of the 21-day race on Thursday ahead of a flat run to Nimes due to an inflamed knee.

One of cycling’s superstars, Sagan was a key rival standing in the way of British ace Mark Cavendish, who can level Eddy Merckx’s all time record for stage wins with victory here on stage 12.

The Slovak fell on stage three hurting a knee in a fall on a bunch sprint that put the brakes on his bid for a record eighth Tour de France green jersey.

“It’s a tough decision but an easy decision, because I can’t move my knee,” said the charismatic three-time world champion, who was unable to add to his tally of 12 stage wins on the 2021 edition.