Between Libourne and Limoges, everything went too fast. 47 km/h on average over the first half of the race, under the impetus of a peloton hardly decided to let a breakaway go during the first 30 kilometers. The pace is hellish, almost as much as the hottest 33°C of the day. In summary, “a very hard day on the bike”, to paraphrase the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard at the microphone of France TV. Of those where we gladly let ourselves be relegated to the second part of the peloton to breathe a little, even when our name is Mark Cavendish. It is precisely at the rear of the swarm of runners that the fall occurs. Almost in slow motion. For someone accustomed to high speeds, the irony is cruel, almost sadistic.
The sprinter suffers but plans to start again. He knows how to grit his teeth, but must quickly face the facts. The peloton is far away, he is in the ambulance. Haggard, eyes moist in emptiness, Cavendish understands that the party will end without him. That there will be neither a 35th stage victory nor an absolute record ahead of Eddy Merckx. At most the tributes of Mads Pedersen, winner in Limoges of a sprint in which the Cav would have loved to take part.
“For me, it was a pleasure to run with Mark, reacted the Dane. We’ve always had a great relationship in the peloton. It’s so sad that a legend like him ends the Tour like that. »
Class, also, the reaction of Tadej Pogacar, groupie of the rocket of Astana in his young years. “When I heard during the race that Mark had fallen, I was really very sad. Everyone wanted him to win a stage. […] I still remember when I watched him sprinting on television in his HTC jersey on the Champs Elysées. I wanted to have the same style, the same legs. » 10th of the 8th stage in the middle of the dragsters of the peloton, he is not so far from it.
Sunday, overcoming fatigue and the Puy-de-Dôme
It is rather tomorrow that we will expect the Slovenian, at the top of Puy-de-Dôme, in a new duel against Jonas Vingegaard. In what state of freshness? The whole peloton seems borrowed. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such a quick first week on the Tour,” smiles the yellow jersey. His team is there for a lot. Did she work too hard on Saturday behind Turgis, Delaplace, Declercq then Asgreen to give Wout Van Aert the chance to express himself in a sprint that was ultimately missed?
The outgoing winner thinks not. “It’s true that we threw a little force in this stage, but it’s especially Dylan [van Baarle] who worked today. It’s a balance. I can not wait for tomorrow. Neilson Powless too. The polka dot jersey sees the Jumbo leave the win to the breakaway of the day, where he intends to make a place for himself to go and score points. “There aren’t many places where the Jumbos can get tough before the last climb, so I think the guys in front will be able to go all the way. »