If the crash ends his 16-year relationship with the race it is better to recall his burst out of peloton in Bordeaux at an unnatural pace
The wounds will heal, the broken bones will mend, but the strong flavour of might-have-been will endure, assuming that a banal crash on the road to Limoges does indeed mark the end of Mark Cavendish’s 16-year relationship with the Tour de France. The proviso has its place, because although Cavendish has announced he will retire this season, those of us who have followed his career since his first flirtations with the world of professional cycling have learned that you should never say never in his specific case.
If this is indeed the end, it is better to recall the image from Bordeaux on Friday afternoon, of Cavendish doing what he has done best for 20 years, bursting out of a flat-out, jostling peloton at a speed that looks unnatural to mere mortals; in the case of Bordeaux on Friday, well north of 45mph.
Written by William Fotheringham
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jul/08/mark-cavendish-tour-de-france-sprint-cycling-crash under the title “Mark Cavendish’s place in Tour de France sprint pantheon is already assured | William Fotheringham”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
