bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Sprint ace Mark Cavendish pulled out of the Tour de France on Tuesday, hours after suffering a broken shoulder blade in a horror crash at the end of the fourth stage.
Cavendish had gone to hospital after world champion Peter Sagan elbowed him into the railings by the side of the road at the finish in Vittel.
Sagan was kicked off the Tour for his part in the crash but his Bora team stated they had appealed against the decision by the Tour’s race commission.
Late on Tuesday evening, Cavendish’s Dimension Data team posted a picture of the British rider on Twitter with his arm in a sling, revealing that he was pulling out of the Tour.


“I’m obviously massively disappointed to get this news about the fracture,” said Cavendish.
“I feel I was in a good position to win and to lose that and even having to leave the Tour, a race I have built my whole career around, is really sad.”
A bloodied Cavendish had earlier demanded an explanation from Sagan for the elbow that sent him crashing into the barriers, and then to the tarmac, at the end of the 207.5-kilometre stage from Mondorf-les-Bains to Vittel.
Sagan had gone to see Cavendish after the stage but the Briton was still left perplexed as to why the Slovak world champion had elbowed him as they jostled for position down the right-hand side of the road at the sprint finish.
“I was massively grateful that Peter came directly after the finish to see me – I have a good relationship with Peter,” said Cavendish.
“Even with the movement to the right, obviously I wouldn’t be happy but that’s racing. But I was a little bit confused with the elbow, that’s something I’d like to speak to him about.”
Cyclist Peter Sagan disqualified from Tour de France
The Tour’s race jury had earlier decided to exclude Sagan for the rest of the Tour.
“We’ve decided to disqualify Peter Sagan from the Tour de France 2017 as he endangered some of his colleagues seriously in the final metres of the sprint which happened in Vittel,” said the president of the race commission, Philippe Marien.
But Bora said they had appealed.
“The team disagrees with the decision and protested it officially,” said Bora in a statement.
“The team applied for a redress of Peter Sagan’s result in stage 4.”
Sagan added: “In the sprint I didn’t know that Mark Cavendish was behind me.
“He was coming from the right side, and I was trying to go on (Alexander) Kristoff’s wheel. Mark was coming really fast from the back and I just didn’t have time to react and to go left.
“He came into me and he went into the fence. When I was told after the finish that Mark had crashed, I went straight away to find out how he was doing.
“We are friends and colleagues in the peloton and crashes like that are never nice. I hope Mark recovers soon.”
It continues a terrible season for Cavendish. The 32-year-old Isle of Man born sprint ace – who has 30 stage wins to his name since 2008 – headed into this year’s race having missed two months recovering from glandular fever.


How Spain’s Costa Blanca has become a cycling hotspot in winter

British cycling great Mark Cavendish signs off with emotional win at Singapore Criterium

Paris Olympics 2024: what to know and who to watch during the cycling competition

Tour de France: tension builds as rivals Pogacar and Vingegaard brace for fresh duel

Tour de France

Horror crash rules Mark Cavendish out of Tour de France with broken shoulder

Team Dimension Data rider Mark Cavendish gets medical assistance after crashing during the fourth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France. Photo: EPA

Slovakia's Peter Sagan (R) gives a kick of elbow and Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (L) falls near the finish line at the end of the 207,5 km fourth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 4, 2017 between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel. World champion Peter Sagan was sensationally kicked off the Tour de France for elbowing Mark Cavendish in a hectic sprint finish to Tuesday's fourth stage. / AFP PHOTO / Jeff PACHOUD

Germany's John Degenkolb (L) and Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (2ndL) lie on the ground after falling near the finish line at the end of the 207,5 km fourth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 4, 2017 between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel. / AFP PHOTO / Jeff PACHOUD

Peter Sagan disqualified in Tour de France after appearing to elbow rival and causing a crash

Slovakia's Peter Sagan (2ndL) gives a kick of his elbow and Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (L) falls near the finish line at the end of the 207,5 km fourth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France. Sagan has been disqualified from the Tour as a result of the incident. Photo: AFP

Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (L) falls near the finish line at the end of the 207,5 km fourth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 4, 2017 between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel. / AFP PHOTO / Jeff PACHOUD

Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (C), receives medical assistance after falling near the finish line at the end of the 207,5 km fourth stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 4, 2017 between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / STEPHANE MANTEY

Sport

Other Sport

Briton is ruled out following Peter Sagan elbow knocks him into side railings


Horror crash rules Mark Cavendish out of Tour de France with broken shoulder

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Briton is ruled out following Peter Sagan elbow knocks him into side railings

Briton is ruled out following Peter Sagan elbow knocks him into side railings