The Australian rider who tried to headbutt New Zealand rider Julian Dean has apologised to Tour de France race officials.
Mark Renshaw was thrown off the Tour yesterday after the incident.
Dean's Garmin team suffered another blow today with the American sprinter Tyler Farrar pulling out of the Tour, his broken wrist sustained in a crash on the second stage to Spa in Belgium proving too much.
But Farrar's exit means Julian Dean can now push for individual sprint honours.
The defending champion Alberto Contador's trimmed 10 seconds off Luxembourg rider Andy Schleck's race lead, Contador finished second on the latest stage, won by fellow Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez.
