Tour de France – Mark Cavendish retires after a fall on stage 8: Stars in the pelotom react with concern

60 kilometers before the finish in Limoges, the Brit crashed in a seemingly harmless racing situation and had to be taken to the hospital.

At the finish in Limoges, Belgian Philipsen was one of the many drivers who reacted to the news with great regret.

The voices on Cavendish-Aus:

Mads Pedersen (Trek – Segafredo) exclusively at Eurosport: “For me, it was always a pleasure to ride with Mark. I had a good relationship with him. It’s a shame when a legend has to leave the Tour like this. He still owes me a jersey change, by the way. I wish him the best. Hopefully I can drive his absolute last race with him to do him my honor.”

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck) at “letour.fr”: “I was surprised to hear that Mark Cavendish had crashed. He was on track to win a stage and break Merckx’s record and it is very unfortunate that his Tour de France history ended in this way It’s over. I feel sorry for him and I wish him all the best. He really inspired me because he’s the best sprinter of all time. He’s a legend and a big role model for me.”

Peter Sagan at “velon.cc”: “We have some memories together. If we sprint against each other 100 times, he beats me 100 times. I only beat him once (Road World Championships 2016 in Doha – and that was a very important race for me!”

Mark Renshaw (Former Teammate and Astana Sprint Advisor): “It hurts more today than yesterday. I didn’t think it was possible anymore. We knew his form was good enough to win. He’s – like the whole team – very disappointed because we came here with a clear Target. I won’t lie. I cried.”

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) at “letour.fr.”: “It’s a shame that Mark broke his collarbone and has to go home, especially after coming so close to winning the stage yesterday. Everyone wanted to see him fight for a win again, as he has said it will be his last year be.”

Marcel Kittel (former competitor) on “ZDF”: “It’s absolutely dramatic to have to end the tour due to a supposedly minor fall, it hurt me. The disappointment runs deep with him, but also with his fans. Everyone hoped that he might still break the Merckx record breaks. What remains is a great athlete who has achieved a lot. He is a good memory for me when I was able to compete with him.”

Gianni Moscon (Teammate at Astana Qazaqstan): “We were at the end of the field after the first climb of the day. Then there was a crash or something up front. We had to brake hard and then someone in front of him changed lines. He touched his rear wheel and fell quite badly. I stayed with him to see how he was. But it quickly became clear that he would not be able to continue the race. He was suffering a lot. There wasn’t much to say. I was just checking to see if I could can do for him before I followed the field.”

Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious): “I didn’t catch much on tour radio. (After confirming Cavendish’s departure): “Really, is that true? He told me today how the chain went yesterday and he was hoping for better luck. I wish him the best.”