Mark Cavendish has crashed out of what is set to be his final Tour de France before retirement.
The 38-year-old Manxman was involved in an innocuous crash 60km from the finish of the race’s eighth stage – a 200.7km run from Libourne and Limoges.
Widely regarded as cycling’s greatest sprinter of all time, Cavendish came into this year’s Tour level on 34 stage wins with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.
Jasper Philipsen denied Cavendish a 35th stage win during Friday’s stage.
Cavendish was involved in an innocuous crash with Pello Bilbao 60km from the finish of Saturday’s transitional stage.
He suffered a suspected broken collarbone and went into an ambulance, with his team Astana Qazaqstan confirming he was forced to abandon the race.
The Tour added: “Heartbreaking for the Manx Missile.”
Cavendish is the fifth rider to abandon this year’s Tour after Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, Jacopo Guarnieri and Luis Leon Sanchez, with all those withdrawals due to crashes.
It marks the seventh time from 14 appearances that Cavendish, who made his Tour debut in 2007, has not finished the race.
After a two-year absence, and having not won a Tour stage since 2016, he returned in 2021 to win four and move level with five-time Tour winner Merckx.
‘Everybody here wanted him to win one stage’ – reaction from the peloton
Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar: “When I heard in the race he [Cavendish] had crashed it was a sad moment because he was in good shape. I think everybody here wanted him to win one stage and yesterday he was super close. It’s a bad moment.
“He was one of my favourites when we were kids. Him sprinting on the Champs-Elysees, we just wanted to have his style and his legs. They were good moments.”
Yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard: “I spoke with him a few times in my first Tour de France and again this year.
“He is a super nice guy and I would have loved to have seen him take the 35th stage win. I still remember when I was a kid and I was watching him and all his celebrations. He was my big idol. It is really a shame for him and I hope he is OK.”
Stage eight winner Mads Pedersen: “For me it was a pleasure to be able to ride with Mark Cavendish. I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton. It’s so sad for a legend to finish the Tour like this.
“He still owes me a jersey, for a jersey swap. Hopefully I can do some of the last races he does.”
Analysis
Matt Warwick, BBC Sport
There have been a few fairytale moments in the career of Mark Cavendish, and taking sole ownership of the Tour stage win record he shares with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx was looking more and more likely to be another.
He was pipped on the line the previous stage – his explosive, low-set style becoming more effective as the race went on.
But a low-profile shunt in the middle of the peloton at relatively low speed appears to have ended one of the most high-profile and glittering relationships ever with this famous three-week race.
The 38-year-old has terrified rivals in France since 2008 with a spirited, no-nonsense approach to the sport that complemented his ‘Manx Missile’ nickname.
Cavendish has said the record itself was of little importance to him – more so his ability to fight, and win, in the moment.
And you can’t put a number on that.
