The French cyclist Pierre Rolland has apologised for his unpopular attack during the 14th stage of the Tour de France.
After Cadel Evans and up to 30 other riders suffered punctures after tacks were thrown on the road, Tour leader Brad Wiggins called for the peloton not to attack on the descent from the Mur de Peguere.
But soon after Rolland, the stage 11 winner, decided to push the pace and established a two-minute lead.
Rolland says he only became aware of the large number of punctures once he was caught by other riders and says he would have followed protocol and waited for those affected had he been aware.
The stage was won by Spans Luis Leon Sanchez but Britain's Brad Wiggins retains the overall lead by more than two minutes.
