Peter Sagan has been forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games after undergoing minor knee surgery to clear up an infection caused by his crash during stage 3 of the Tour de France.
Sagan left the Tour de France after stage 11 after the wound became infected and caused inflammation. On Monday, Sagan said that after surgery he was feeling better, and his Bora-Hansgrohe team suggested he could resume training in a few days. However, the Slovak Olympic Committee deemed the Games were too close and nominated 21-year-old Lukáš Kubiš as his substitute.
"We did everything possible on site at the Tour but even antibiotic treatment couldn’t prevent an infection,” Bora-Hansgrohe Head Doctor, Christopher Edler, said on Monday.
"The only option was to stop racing and get the bursa surgically removed. Luckily it was only superficial infection, and the knee joint is not involved in this at all. The surgery went well, and I think Peter will be able to start with light training again in a couple of days."
Sagan was aiming to extend his record in the Tour de France points classification to take home his eighth career green jersey. However, he suffered a dramatic crash in the sprint on stage 3 when he collided with Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) in the final few hundred metres.
Jack Haig, who also crashed on stage 3 and suffered a broken collarbone, also withdrew from the Tokyo Games but a replacement has yet to be named. Haig's compatriot Cameron Meyer also withdrew, citing the COVID-19 pandemic travel challenges in light of a family member's illness. Lucas Hamilton was named as his replacement but crashed out of the Tour de France on stage 13.
Kubiš, who races for the Continental team Dukla Banska Bystrica, made the podium in the time trial and road race national championships, taking third to Sagan. He will join Juraj Sagan in competing in the men's road race.
