Rod Ellingworth on Mark Cavendish's Tour de France abandon: "It’s tragic for him and tragic for the whole sport"

Mark Cavendish's departure from the Tour de France was the main story of stage 8, tributes and comments on the Manxman have come from all sides of the peloton as it may have been his last in the race which marked his career. Former manager Rod Ellingworth had equally good words on the sprinter.

“I could see when he climbed in the ambulance. I think he’ll be shell-shocked, really shell-shocked. I’m first of all thinking about Mark and about how his family are feeling. It’s a huge and very sad moment for all of them," INEOS Grenadiers performance manager Rod Ellingworth told Cyclingnews. “I think if he’d finished the Tour and not won a stage that would have been one thing but to crash out of the Tour like that is such a terrible thing."

Ellingworth collaborated with Cavendish extensively in his years on Team Sky, but the two have remained prominent figures in their own roles throughout the past decade in the peloton. Cavendish was in search of a win that would set him apart as the rider with the most stage wins in the history of the Tour de France on what is said to be his last year as a pro rider, but the day after he finished second he was forced to leave with a broken collarbone. “It’s tragic for him and tragic for the whole sport."

"We’ve all been robbed of that great opportunity to see him win a 35th stage. It’s a disappointment for everybody, I’m sure everyone feels sad. He was not odds on to win a 35th stage but he had a fair good chance. I wouldn’t want to speculate about his future at this point but knowing Cav, who knows…" Ellingworth concluded.