The supposed 50-50 split on the board was not about "was it right to DQ Sagan vs. was it not right to DQ Sagan" but about "was Sagan at fault vs. was Sagan not at fault". That's why hrotha's post early on is the most appropriate one on the thread: the DQ is a debatable one and most people are against it, and certainly the first penalty assessed seemed commensurate with the offence and most wouldn't have complained had it been left at that, but some of the BS being spouted and salt being thrown by some fans in order to absolve Sagan of blame and try to imply all manner of conspiracies to get him out of the race (as if ASO control the commissaires, or as if the UCI really want to see the rainbow jersey turfed from the race) is absolutely ridiculous, and at times has reached levels just as childish as my Richmond outburst against the guy. Claiming Sagan was hard done by and the punishment is above the level of the crime may have some mileage, but some of the posts have gone way above and beyond that in absolving the guy of any responsibility for his actions when he clearly deviated from his line considerably resulting in an avoidable crash, and some of the increasingly desperate attempts to explain away the regulations in some way to allow for his return or propose ways to change cycling so that this can't happen again, as if it's professional cycling that is at fault, not Sagan, Demare or any of the participants - including the appeal by his professional team - are just forlorn and a blatant refusal to accept a decision that has been made, for better or for worse, and now just being the football player with his brows arched upwards and his hands clasped in prayer, somehow expecting the referee to overturn that penalty, ten minutes after the goal has been scored.
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