Tour de France cyclist Matthew Goss's bid to claim the green jersey has hit a stumbling block after the Australian was docked 30 points by officials.
The 25-year-old was hit with the penalty after committing an irregular sprint by coming out of his sprint line at the end of the 226km 12th stage.
Race director Jean-Francois Pescheux said: "He didn't stay in his line. He changed his line then made quite a big mistake, it's clear to see."
Meanwhile, David Millar clinched the 12th stage of the tournament, while Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins retains the overall lead.