Dimension Data boss doubts Mark Cavendish will be able to start Tour de France stage five
Doug Ryder says they can only hope Cavendish will be able to continue at the Tour de France after his crash on stage four
Dimension Data says that Mark Cavendish's shoulder "does not look good" after crashing with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and does not think that he can start in the fifth stage of the Tour de France.
The jury disqualified Peter Sagan after he drifted into Manx cyclist in the final 150 metres of the stage to Vittel. Cavendish with his right arm in a sling had to go to the hospital.
"His shoulder does not look good so we'll have to wait and see, we can only hope," team principal Doug Ryder said when asked if he thought Cavendish could continue.
"He's a tough guy but that was a hard crash. We can only hope but I'm not sure."
Cavendish left the bus and was forced to take his anti-doping test first before his x-rays.
"It doesn't look good, we have to wait for the x-rays, but let's hope that it's nothing that severe, but it didn't look that great from my perspective. But I'm not a doctor."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The jury decided later after Ryder spoke that Sagan should go home. Sagan won stage three on Monday and won the green points jersey in the last five editions of the Tour de France.
The incident happened with Cavendish, the Tour de France's most successful sprinter. Cavendish counts 30 stage wins and is nearly the record held by Eddy Merckx at 34. He fought to recover from glandular fever just to be on the start line for the 2017 edition.
"It was ridiculous, that wasn't racing as it should be," Ryder said.
"At that speed, there are instincts that happen. I don't think anybody does anything deliberately. It happened, and I don't think it's right.
"To be disqualified ... that affects him and his race, but it doesn't help us in terms of Mark and his career. He's a legend in the sport and that's really disappointing.
"You can see all the guys moving over and Peter's elbow moved off the bar after. Sprinter are sprinters but the deviation is pretty drastic around there."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
6 ways riders are making their bikes lighter at the Tour of the Alps
From ultralight wheels to carbon bottle cages, there are precious grams to be saved in the mountains
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Is it time we all just bought gravel bikes rather than road bikes and be done with it?
If we're going to have to ride through potholes, we might as well do it in comfort
By James Shrubsall Published
-
Mark Cavendish to miss Scheldeprijs as illness continues to affect schedule
Cavendish will ride Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye later this month, Astana Qazaqstan confirms
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Peter Sagan confident of return to bike in 15 days after latest heart procedure
Sagan recently underwent second operation in Italy to tackle heart rhythm related issues
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Peter Sagan undergoes second heart procedure, as Olympics nears
Return to training after first operation reveals further heart rhythm issues
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Peter Sagan undergoes heart procedure after experiencing ‘tachycardic episode’
Slovakian has ablation procedure in Italian hospital after heart rate exceeded 200 bpm during MTB race in Spain
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Astana go all in on Cavendish in his final season, but will the confidence pay off?
The Kazakh team have bet big on the 38-year-old sprinter. Both they and Cavendish need 2024 to work
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish wins his first race in final season after perfect leadout in Tour Colombia
The Briton fended off the challenge of home rider Fernando Gaviria on stage four of the Tour Colombia
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish forced to settle for third in 2024 season opener in Colombia
Astana Qazaqstan rider says Tour Colombia stage one result ‘best debut race for a few years’
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish seeking aerobic gains at altitude before focusing on high intensity work ahead of new season
Astana head coach Vasilis Anastopoulos: ‘Cavendish is currently doing lots of hours in the saddle and only short sessions of more intensive work’
By Tom Thewlis Published