体坛英语新闻：Australian Mark Renshaw kicked off Tour de France for headbutting

CANBERRA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Australian Mark Renshaw has been kicked off the Tour de France after being found guilty of deliberately head-butting New Zealander Julian Dean, Australia's media reported on Friday.

In a dramatic final 250 meters of a mad-scramble sprint finish into Bourg-les-Valance of France in stage 11 of the Tour, Renshaw lent across and struck Dean three times with his helmet in trying to shift the New Zealander out of his ground.

The move was designed to open up a gap for HTC-Columbia team- mate Mark Cavendish. Dean, a key lead out man on Matt White's Garmin-Transitions squad, was leading out American team-mate Tyler Farrar to contest the bunch sprint.

Renshaw's actions appeared to hold up Farrar and that was how the race officials saw it.

Renshaw is the first Australian to face action for interference since Robbie McEwen head-butted Stuart O'Grady in 2005.