Mark Cavendish crashed out of what was set to be his final Tour de France on Saturday, ending the sprint legend’s quest to go one better than Eddie Merckx for stage wins.
The 38-year-old British rider got caught up in a crash on a flat section of road seemingly without danger entering the village of La Chapelle-Verlaine about 63km from the finish.
In agony he was taken to a hospital with a broken collarbone as Denmark’s Mads Pedersen went on to win a bunch sprint in Limoges in central France.
Photo: AFP
“I won’t lie, I cried. Everyone in the team is hurting,” Astana Qazaqstan Team sprint adviser Mark Renshaw said.
“Second yesterday, and today, to have this happen to Mark ... it’s hard,” he said.
Widely regarded as cycling’s greatest sprinter, Cavendish came into this year’s Tour level on 34 stage wins with Belgian great Merckx.
Jasper Philipsen had denied him a record 35th stage win on Friday.
On Saturday, former world champion Pedersen won ahead of Belgian duo Philipsen and Wout van Aert.
“It’s sad a legend like him ends his Tour like that,” Trek-Segafredo rider Pedersen said.
“I hoped so bad he’d get his 35th win on the Tour. It’s painful not only for him, but also for so many other people in cycling, riders and fans, everyone,” he added.
Ashen-faced Cavendish remained on the road rolling in pain every time he reached toward his right shoulder before being taken away by ambulance.
Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme said it was “an emotional day.”
“For a few seconds yesterday we thought he would achieve his goal, and today it’s over,” he said.
“He’s the best sprinter in Tour de France history and he’ll always be welcome here, with or without a bike,” he added.
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
RSS