YORK, England (AP) — British sprinter Mark Cavendish
pulled out of the Tour de France on Sunday with a serious shoulder
injury likely to require surgery.
Cavendish, with his arm in a
sling underneath his sweatshirt, said outside the team bus before the
start of the second stage that he was "absolutely devastated."
The
29-year-old sprinter known as the "Manx Missile" had made the Tour his
main goal this season but saw his hopes of winning his first yellow
jersey disappear on Saturday when he hit the ground near the finish of
the first stage in his mother’s hometown of Harrogate.
Cavendish,
who took responsibility for the crash after taking Australian Simon
Gerrans down with him, was diagnosed with a separated shoulder.
"Normally,
I bounce well when I crash," Cavendish said at York racecourse. "I
assessed my body yesterday and for the first time in my career I knew
something was wrong. I really had this little bit of optimism that I
might be OK this morning but it’s just impossible."
Cavendish will undergo a MRI in Manchester on Monday night that will determine whether he needs surgery
on his shoulder.
One
of the most successful sprinters in the history of the race, Cavendish
has won 25 Tour stages. The last time he retired from cycling’s
showpiece event was in 2008 when he left the race early to get ready for
the Beijing Olympics.
Cavendish’s team doctor Helge Riepenhof
said it’s likely the sprinter will need surgery that will sideline him
for about six weeks, likely ruling him out for the Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow from July 23-Aug. 3.
"It’s a serious injury but he can
recover well and it should not affect his future performances,"
Riepenhof said. "He is really sad because he wanted to show that he was
ready to win a stage in his home country. He wanted to race but he
can’t."
Cavendish’s maiden ride in the Tour in 2007, when the race
started in London, was also marred by crashes that led to his early
exit.
"It could be worse for me," the Omega Pharma Quick-Step
rider said. "I’ve got friends who have come back from Afghanistan with
the armed forces. My friend Josh is a double amputee on his legs and
missing his right arm. He just sent me a message joking saying ‘I’ve got
a spare arm for you.’"
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Jamey Keaten in York contributed to this report.
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