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Mark Cavendish should share the report for many profession stage wins on the Tour de France.
Competing in his ultimate season, probably the most profitable sprinter in Tour historical past crashed out through the eighth stage on Saturday. His staff stated he broke his proper collarbone and can want surgical procedure.
Cavendish equaled Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins through the 2021 Tour, 13 years after his first success, however was not chosen final 12 months.
This version was his final probability to develop into the outright record-holder after he introduced in Could through the Giro d’Italia that he’ll retire from biking on the finish of this season. Cavendish ended the Giro in model, successful the ultimate stage within the historic heart of Rome to publish his seventeenth stage win on the Italian Grand Tour.
Generally known as “The Manx Missile” as he’s from the Isle of Man, Cavendish was second in Friday’s seventh stage.
The 38-year-old former world champion crashed with 63 kilometers left whereas using in the back of the peloton at about 45 kph (28 mph). TV pictures confirmed the veteran rider mendacity on the bottom and holding his proper shoulder in ache.
Cavendish’s teammate, Gianni Moscon, stated he needed to brake out of the blue due to a crash in entrance of him “and somebody modified line and he simply hit the rear wheel of the man in entrance of him and went down.”
“It was fairly dangerous,” Mosconi added. “I stayed with him however he wasn’t in a position to go on with the race so we had to return within the peloton.”
Cavendish went into an ambulance for remedy and regarded ashen-faced earlier than his retirement from the race was introduced.
Astana-Qazaqstan public relations supervisor Philippe Maertens advised The Related Press that Cavendish was hospitalized within the metropolis of Perigueux. He added {that a} screw that was inserted through the 2017 Tour to repair a scapula damage had develop into free after his newest crash. Maertens added that Cavendish was anticipated to return residence quickly.
Merckx amassed his wins within the Nineteen Sixties and 70s, an period throughout which his domination was such that he earned the nickname “The Cannibal.” In contrast to Merckx, who gained a report 5 Excursions, Cavendish has by no means gained and specialised within the sprints.
His pace, prowess and longevity amongst his fellow sprinters don’t have any equal on the Tour.
Since his first Tour in 2007, Cavendish has accomplished 206 phases, successful 16.5% of them, in accordance with statistics supplied by race organizers.
“It’s so unhappy for a legend to complete the Tour like this,” stated former world champion Mads Pedersen, who won Saturday’s stage in a mass dash. “For me it was a pleasure to have the ability to experience with Mark Cavendish. I at all times had a great relationship with him within the peloton. Hopefully I can do among the final races he does.”
Cavendish grew to become the fifth rider to desert this 12 months after Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, Jacopo Guarnieri and Luis Leon Sanchez, who all crashed out. That grew to become six towards the top of Saturday’s stage when Belgian rider Steff Cras was caught in yet one more pileup and retired.
Cavendish was not chosen for final 12 months’s Tour by his former Fast-Step Alpha Vinyl staff and joined the Astana-Qazaqstan staff in January to increase his storied profession by one season, hoping he would add no less than yet another extra stage win.
Cavendish additionally gained the Tour de France greatest sprinter’s inexperienced jersey twice. He has gained phases in any respect three Grand Excursions — Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Spanish Vuelta — and have become a world champion in 2011.
“It’s actually, actually, a disgrace. All people needed to see him go for yet another win,” two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar stated.
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