Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team) had a difficult day, this Saturday between Florence and Rimini, on the 1st stage of the Tour de France 2024. In the Italian furnace, the Englishman quickly let go, from the first difficulty of the day. Visibly suffering from the heat (over 30 degrees), he vomited on multiple occasions, and had to hold on to finish on time, surrounded by his close guard: Cees Bol, David Ballerini, Michael Morkov, Michael Gazzoli, the latter being forced to abdicate quite quickly, undoubtedly also ill. Crossing the line in penultimate position, more than 39 minutes behind the winner Romain Bardet but with 10 minutes ahead of the deadline, the sprinter with 34 victories on the Tour returned to this epic to our microphone after the arrival.
Mark Cavendish survived this difficult first stage
“It was so hard, but we had a plan and we stuck to it”
“It was the heat. We knew what we were doing. It is not easy. Like I always say, if you have my physique today, don’t start riding a bike, because those days are gone. But we knew what we were doing. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. We don’t ride bikes to talk. It was so hard. It was so hard, but we had a plan and we stuck to it. Ok, I would have liked to stay one more climb with the peloton, but I was seeing stars, really“, he reacted.”It was so hot. We’re happy that we made it. We’re doing well. Obviously, it’s a great story when you’re close to the deadline. Like I said, we kind of had it under control.“, he concluded Cavendishwho will have another complicated day to get through on Sunday before a first sprint in Turin on Monday.
