Phinney disqualified from Tour of Britain

Taylor Phinney (Cannondale-Drapac) was disqualified from the Tour of Britain on stage 2 for violating rules prohibiting riders from passing level crossings while the warning signal is activated or barriers closing.

Phinney quickly took to Twitter to apologize for his actions, explaining that he was behind the peloton after a mechanical when he came upon the railway and made a rash decision to cross.

"So, I've been disqualified from the Tour of Britain for crossing a railway while the gates were coming down," Phinney wrote. "I was alone in the caravan of team cars coming back from a mechanical with 40k to go. The peloton had already passed through moments before.

"I'd like to apologize to the race organization, the police and my team. It was a split second decision not to get left behind by the race."

The UCI rules were amended in 2016 after an incident in the 2015 Paris-Roubaix saw dozens of riders skirt the closing barriers and cross ahead of an oncoming high-speed train.

They unambiguously require officials to disqualify any rider who violates rule 2.3.034 which states "It shall be strictly forbidden to cross level crossings when the barrier is down or closing, the warning signal ringing or flashing."