British cycling star Mark Cavendish had gone into the latest edition of the Tour de France chasing down records, but the Isle of Man racer has seen his challenge end early
Mark Cavendish is out of the 2023 Tour de France after suffering a heavy fall on stage eight.
Cavendish was vying for further records in his final appearance on the Tour. He had narrowly missed out on a record-breaking 35th stage win earlier in the 2023 edition, and he ends up level with the legendary Eddy Merckx on 34.
The Brit, who turned 38 in May, was involved in a crash involving a number of riders during the eighth stage. During a lengthy and decorated cycling career, he twice finished with the green jersey after topping the Tour de France points classification in both 2011 and 2021.
“This race gives the most incredible emotions, but there’s no room for sentimentality,” Cavendish had said in the lead-up to the tour. “I know it’s my last one but it’s still the same â I have a job to do. You can appreciate the moments of sentiment later.