Departure of Tour de France very problematic for Mark CavendishThe 39-year-old from the Isle of Man dropped out on the first climb of the race, the Valico Tre Faggi, tackled after 40 kilometres of the first stage, the Florence-Rimini.
The English sprinter did not keep up with the group and four of his teammates remained with him.Astana,Qazaqstan: Davide Ballerini, Michael GazzoliCees Bol and the very trusty Michael Mørkøv: the objective of the Asian team was to bring Cavendish to the finish line within the maximum time (which will amount to approximately 50′), on a day made very difficult not only due to the altitude profile (all up and down the Apennines) but also for the great heat, measured in the first part of the fraction at 36°C.
Surrounded by his companions, Manx is in total crisis
However, Cavendish’s problems were not limited to heavy legs, which had already been highlighted in similar stages in the past. The record holder of stage victories of the Tour (cohabiting with Eddy Merckx) was in fact also sick to his stomach, to the point of having vomited in a section of the descent of the Three Beech Pass, as evidenced by television footage. Sporza also reported a complaint from Mark, who said his eyes hurt, while he freed himself of all weight from his pockets, even bars and gels, to be as light as possible.
However, Astana’s bad day continued with the withdrawal of Michele Gazzoli, one of the team members who were with Cavendish, who abandoned the race about 80 km from the finish line. An episode that, united to the episode of vomiting by Mark, could suggest some internal problems within the team, from which the news came that the reason for the 25-year-old from Brescia’s stop lies in a great deal of suffering due to the heat.
The Cavendish ordeal He continued for the rest of the stage, with a delay from the leaders that soon exceeded a quarter of an hour, and with his companions frequently pouring water on him the whole time to cool him down.
Mark Cavendish’s Dream: To Score His 35th Tour Victory
At 39 years old, and after retracing his steps regarding his retirement, announced and then denied during the course of the work a year ago, the Manx sprinter wanted at all costs to be at the start of the Tour precisely to try to become the record holder solitary of partial successes: as mentioned, he currently shares that throne with Merckx at 34 victories. The number 35 eluded him in 2023 due to a fall that led to Mark’s retirement, but it is only the 2024 edition of the Big loop is proving too promising for him.
