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Watching Mark Cavendish say goodbye to his Astana Qazaqstan teammates is heartbreaking

The sprinter withdrew from the Tour de France after a crash

Mark Cavendish saying good bye to his Astana teammates Photo by: Astana-Qazaqstan/Twitter
July 9, 2023
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This is not the way that the cycling world wanted to see Mark Cavendish’s Tour de France go. The Manx Missile was forced to retire from the race after a mid-race crash resulted in a broken collarbone.

Dane Mads Pedersen beat Jasper Philipsen to the line in Stage 8, a 200-km race from Libourne to Limoges. However, the stage was marred when cycling fans all over the world felt their hearts break when they saw Cav crash hard in the race and then limp to the team car.

The saddest face you’ll ever see at the Tour de France

At the Giro in May, the Astana Qazaqstan rider said that 2023 would be his last season. The 38-year-old took a stage win there, and he seemed to be on form for the Tour. On Friday, he came so so close to a stage win, finishing just behind Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck.

The Brit is tied with the great Eddy Merckx for all-time stage wins. They’ve both taken 34 wins in their career at the Tour. Unless Cav decides to postpone his retirement, which by the way, one of his teammates jokes he should do in this video, the record will most likely stay the way it is.

Check out the emotional video of Cav having come back from the hospital to say goodbye to his teammates. He walks around the room, giving each of his brothers-in-arms a hug and wishing them the best as they continue the race.