Tour de France: 'That was so hard' - Mark Cavendish plays down sickness fears after Stage 1 struggles
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Published 29/06/2024 at 18:14 GMT
Mark Cavendish's Tour de France dream lives on. After a brutal day in the saddle, featuring some ominous pictures of the Manx Missile looking in distress, Cavendish insisted all was fine. The 39-year-old is tied with Eddy Merckx on 34 stage wins at the Tour and, if he survives another gruelling test on Sunday, will have his first chance to claim the record outright on Monday's Stage 3.
'It was so hot' - Cavendish says heat caused Stage 1 struggles
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) admitted the opening stage of the Tour de France was "so hard" after beating the time cut, but he played down concerns about his health.
The 39-year-old was dropped on the opening climb of the race as he struggled in the intense heat, while TV pictures of him being sick and team-mates dowsing him in water did little to inspire optimism.
Cavendish and his team-mates rallied to complete the stage, coming home some 39 minutes behind winner Romain Bardet but well within the time limit.
Asked if he was struggling with sickness or the heat, Cavendish told Eurosport: "I think the heat. I think a lot of people were feeling it."
He continued: "Look, we know what we're doing. It doesn't mean it's easy, we're not riding round talking.
"That was so hard but we had a plan and stuck to it. OK, I would have liked to have stayed one more climb with the peloton, but it was so hot.
"We're happy to make it, we're OK and yeah, onto Stage 2."
Cavendish postponed his retirement to have another crack at the Tour, where he needs one more stage win to claim the all-time record outright.
He hoped to do that in 2023, only for his bid to come to an abrupt end when he broke his collarbone in a heavy fall, leaving him tied with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx on 34 wins.
'Cause for concern, but not a cause for panic' - Mcewen
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'Concern, not panic' - McEwen backs Cavendish after Stage 1 troubles
Eurosport expert and 12-time Tour stage winner Robbie McEwen said there was no need to panic despite Cavendish's struggles.
"I reckon there would have been an element of panic initially because he was trying to drink and then just throwing up," McEwen began on The Breakaway.
"We were questioning whether he might be ill. I've actually heard categorically from Mark Renshaw, his team director - 'no, he's not sick, it's just a really hard, hot day and he's struggling with it'."
He continued: "I wouldn't say: 'totally fine, all expected, no problem'. There is a cause for concern but not a cause for panic.
"Mark's been in bad situations in the Tour, and other Grand Tours, and nearly been time cut - and then pops up the next day and wins."
Cavendish must survive six more categorised climbs on Sunday before the first day for the sprinters arrives on Stage 3.
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