Mark Cavendish’s Tour is over after a crash on stage eight (Picture: Getty)
Mark Cavendish’s bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win ended after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.
Less than 24 hours after he came within a few metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux, Cavendish’s outstanding Tour career ended in the back of an ambulance, the anguish on his face clear to see after an innocuous touch of wheels brought an early end to his final appearance in the race he loves.
Cavendish went down hard and held his shoulder after a crash in the peloton around 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges.
It means Cavendish, who announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season, will finish his career level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins.
Cavendish was agonisingly close to breaking the record on Friday, getting the jump on Jasper Philipsen on the sprint to the line in Bordeaux, only for his gears to jump when he was trying to apply full power.
Mark Cavendish crashed about 60km from the end of stage eight (Picture: Getty)
Mark Cavendish had been hoping to record a record 35th stage win (Picture: Getty)
Cavendish won his first Tour stages back in 2008, taking four in total, and chalked up 20 in his first four participations.
He enjoyed four stage wins in 2021, equalling Merckx’s record with his victory on stage 13 in Carcassonne.
His team Astana Qazaqstan confirmed the rider’s abandonment.
They said on Twitter: ‘(Mark Cavendish) crashed 60 km from finish with Pello Bilbao and was forced to abandon. He left the race in the ambulance.’
Depending on the severity of the injury, this could be the last time cycling fans see Cavendish on a bike as a professional rider.
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The Manx Missile had been aiming for a record 35th stage win.