The Giro d’Italia stage winner was caught in a crash close to the finish.
Two days after a mechanical put an end to his chances of fighting for what would have been a fifth victory this season in Heistse Pijl, another misfortune spoiled Mark Cavendish’s ambitions, this time at the Ronde van Limburg, the 202.6km race that took in 18 short hills.
Having been protected throughout the entire day by his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl teammates, who worked relentlessly to bring back the escapees, the Manxman was perfectly placed in the wheel of teammate and experienced lead-out man Michael Mørkøv with three kilometers to go, when in the blink of an eye he found himself on the ground after a crash that took down several riders occurred just as the peloton was reeling in a late attacker.
Fortunately, Mark escaped unscathed from the incident and concluded the race a couple of minutes behind winner Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Soudal), but his absence meant that the Wolfpack couldn’t play a role in the finale, our highest-ranked rider being Stan Van Tricht, in 23rd position.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
