BOURG-LES-VALENCE, France — In the frenzied and dangerous mass sprints at the Tour de France, competitors often need to keep their heads.
Mark Renshaw decided to use his.
The Australian lead-out man for sprint specialist Mark Cavendish was kicked out of the race after head-butting a rival Thursday, which cleared a path for his British teammate to win his third stage at this year’s Tour.
“This is cycling. It’s not wrestling,” said course director Jean-Francois Pescheux, who called Renshaw’s aggressive tactics “flagrant” and the punishment necessary.
Andy Schleck of Luxembourg retained the yellow jersey, and rode conservatively during the 114.6-mile ride from Sisteron to Bourg-les-Valence so he could save his energy for tough climbs in the Pyrenees during the final week.
The 25-year-old race leader cruised into the finish in the main pack after riding part of the stage discussing a vacation with his main rival, defending champion Alberto Contador.
“It was quiet and we can act like normal people,” Schleck said. “So we spoke about — we remembered — our holidays.”
It wasn’t nearly so quiet near the front of the pack, at least at the finish line.
With the sprinters’ teams barreling toward the finish at about 40 mph, Renshaw rammed his head three times into the shoulder of Julian Dean of New Zealand, the lead-out man for American sprinter Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Transitions. It was an apparent bid to push Dean, who was then in the lead, out of the way during the final sprint.
After reviewing video of the finish, the race jury said Renshaw was “removed from the competition for a particularly serious case.”
They also said the HTC Columbia rider was fined 200 Swiss francs (about $192) for a grave case of “irregular sprint.”
“I’m extremely disappointed and also surprised,” Renshaw said. “I never imagined I would be removed from any race, especially the Tour de France. I pride myself on being a very fair, safe and a straight-up sprinter, and never in my career have I received a fine or even a warning.”
After the head-butts, causing Dean to shake his head in apparent exasperation, he appeared to swerve in front of Farrar. That allowed Caven- dish to spurt ahead in the final 300 meters, with Alessandro Petacchi of Italy in second and Farrar in third.
“I only saw open space on my left. I had no idea Tyler Farrar was there,” Renshaw said. “By no means would I ever put any of my fellow riders in danger.”
Cavendish, who took his third stage win in this year’s Tour and the 13th of his young career, rushed to Renshaw’s defense, alleging that Dean had tried to elbow his teammate.
At a glance
Thursday’s 11th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: The 114.6-mile trek from Sisteron to Bourg-les-Valence was mostly flat but featured a mid-grade, category 3 climb on the Cabre Pass.
Winner: British sprinter Mark Cavendish won his third stage this Tour — and 13th in his Tour career — in 4 hours, 42 minutes, 29 seconds. Alessandro Petacchi of Italy was second, and U.S. rider Tyler Farrar was third.
Yellow jersey: Andy Schleck of Luxembourg kept the yellow jersey and maintained his 41-second lead over defending champion Alberto Contador. Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez is 2:45 back in third.
Quote of the day: “I’m really happy to win. The team did a great job.” — Cavendish, despite the ouster of his lead-out man on the HTC Columbia team, Mark Renshaw of Australia, after head-butting a rival in the final sprint that cleared a path for Cavendish.
How Lance Armstrong did: He finished 114th in Thursday’s stage, only 29 seconds behind the leader. Overall, he dropped to 32nd place, almost 18 minutes out of the lead.
How Garmin-Transitions did: Garmin was the victim of Renshaw’s head butt, but Farrar still managed a third-place finish and is ninth in the race for the green jersey (top sprinter). The team remains outside the top 10 in the overall team standings. Ryder Hesjedel is in 12th place in the overall standings, 5:42 behind Schleck.
Next stage: Today’s 12th stage features five mid-grade climbs on a 130.8-mile course from Bourg-de-Peage to Mende.
