The HTC-Columbia team has taken Mark Cavendish out of the Tour of Romandie following the conclusion of today's stage, citing his inappropriate gesture after winning stage two yesterday as the reason.
The gesture, which in Britain and several other countries represents precisely the same as a single index finger, was displayed when he crossed the line as a message to his critics, whom Cavendish later branded as ‘idiots’ in a press conference.
Cavendish had separately issued his own apology earlier today stating: "I apologize to everybody watching the race and especially the kids. I am not proud of releasing my feelings in that way. I hope I can redeem myself and show my feelings and passion for cycling with results rather than with gestures such as the one yesterday."
The team said it agreed with the individual fine issued by the UCI commissaries today, and said it will direct payment of Cavendish's prize money from his stage win to the international charity Right To Play.
With a tough stage featuring two category one climbs tomorrow, followed by a stage that includes three category one climbs on Sunday, Cavendish wasn't expected to feature in the race over the weekend. His next big target is the Tour of California which begins on Sunday May 16th.