Mark Cavendish is fighting for his life after suffering an apparent heat stroke and vomiting at the start of the brutal Tour de France race from Florence to Rimini. In his final Tour de France, the British sprinter managed to get through the stage with the help of four team-mates but ended up nearly 40 minutes behind stage winner Romain Bardet of France.
The highly regarded Bardet launched the attack on the Cote de Montemaggio hill, 40 kilometers from Rimini, alongside DSM Firmenich PostNL teammate Frank van den Broek. Finally won the stage and won the yellow jersey. Entering the final 20 kilometers of the race, the pair were 1 minute and 30 seconds ahead of the chasing pack, but as the kilometers dwindled, their lead shrank to just a few seconds as they entered the final 1,000 meters.
But the pair held on for the finish line, with Bardet taking a thrilling victory and taking the overall race lead in what would be his last Tour de France appearance in his long career.
Cavendish wasn’t the only one to suffer on a stage where several pre-tournament favorites struggled. French hopeful Groupama FDJ team principal David Gaudou, Emirates Team captain Tadej Pogacarjuan Ayuso and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Irish sprinter Sam Bennett have all been left out. Outside the main vehicle.
The route was filled with steep climbs, ridden in fire conditions and clearly not suited to his sprinting skills, which Cavendish, 39, suffered on the first climb to the finish line in Rimini The pain at his feet was the beginning of his nightmare.
Cavendish must now try to pick up the pieces. He also lost Italian teammate Michele Gazzoli, who withdrew from the Tour after just 120 kilometers, while the team’s Colombian climber Harold Tejada Tejada was also eliminated by the main contender in the final hour of the competition.
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There are still shorter steep climbs on Sunday’s second stage from Cesenatico to Bologna, but with his eyes firmly fixed on Monday’s first real sprint finish in Turin, Cavendish will have his fingers crossed You can recover on your own.
