I was watching a bit of the tour de france this year, and it seems they always let a few race off as they tend to tire only a few miles down the road and are easily caught up. Saying that I know nothing on the sport so they could have just been telling me lies.
They seemed to be saying that the peloton, which I think is the big pack of riders were riding too slow and making GB do all the pace setting. Apparently pace setting is hard work as you would rather be just behind the pace setters in the slip stream. The team's role is to protect cavendish and keep in the leading group so that he can power home in the last 500m, but because the peloton were too far behind he kept him out of the race. He hasn't got the long distance speed to keep up with the two lone runners but if they had have been in the pack he'd have done them over then last sprint.
To be honest I think the mass effort of winning the tour de France took too much out of them.
He's had a punishing ride that's ended in disappointment and then a microphone is thrust under his nose, he's got every right to be annoyed. The word 'disgrace' has absolutely no power any more.