Robbie McEwen slams Matt Goss Tour de France penalty

AUSTRALIAN cycling great Robbie McEwen has slammed the Tour de France race judges, saying their ruling against Matt Goss “killed” the green jersey competition.

Goss received a heavy penalty when he and young Slovakian star Peter Sagan had a head-to-head sprint for six points at the end of Friday’s stage 12.

Goss was relegated one place coming off his line in the sprint, but more significantly received a 30-point penalty.

That has blown Sagan’s green jersey lead over the Australian out to 56 – before the sprint, it was down to just 24.

McEwen works with Goss on the Australian Orica-GreenEDGE team as their sprint coach, but he said regardless of his obvious bias the decision and penalty were wrong.

“I tried to be objective when I looked at the sprint and there was a little move there but not enough to warrant a disqualification,” McEwen told the letour.fr race website.

“That penalty far outweighs what they say he did … a relegation from sixth to seventh should have been the absolute maximum.

“A 30-point penalty is a joke and its completely killed that competition.

“I’ve been disqualified before (in a Tour sprint) … but I didn’t get penalised more points.

“I don’t know where they get that ruling from.

“That must be a new regulation because its just ridiculous.”

A 12-time Tour stage winner and three-time winner of the green jersey at the race, McEwen retired from competition two months ago. - AAP