- Sprinter hit by heatstroke and suffered from first climb
- Bardet wins stage but host of big names also struggling
Romance is alive and well in the Tour de France, but so is chaos and suffering. As Mark Cavendish was sweating like a dog and vomiting on the climbs on the first stage from Florence to Rimini, one of the peloton’s most popular riders and great thinkers, Romain Bardet, making his final appearance in a race in which he has twice come close to winning, claimed the first yellow jersey of his career.
If Bardet was in a state of disbelief at the finish, Cavendish and his Astana Qazaqstan team were just in a state. On the ropes almost immediately, the recently knighted sprinter toiled over the numerous climbs, and also lost his Italian teammate, Michele Gazzoli, who quit after 120km of the Tour’s first stage.
Written by Jeremy Whittle
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jun/29/mark-cavendish-fighting-to-stay-in-tour-de-france-already-after-brutal-first-stage under the title “Mark Cavendish fighting to stay in Tour de France already after brutal first stage”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
