CAV DENIED VICTORY AFTER SPRINT CLASH

TOUR DE FRANCE

MARCEL KITTEL won stage 10 of the Tour de France in Saint-Malo after Mark Cavendish was involved in a collision during the sprint to the line.

Kittel broke in the final few metres to pip Andre Greipel over the line, while Cavendish crossed in third having sat up in the final few metres.

The Manxman had been well placed when the sprint began but then clashed with Kittel’s lead-out man Tom Veelers, sending the Dutchman crashing to the floor.

Although Cavendish remained upright, his rhythm had been lost and he gave up the chase, shaking his head as he crossed the line. That’s another chance gone for him to win a 25th Tour stage and move level with Andre Leducq in thirdplace on the all-time list.

The result was a big disappointment for an army of British fans who had crossed the channel to watch the finish in Saint-Malo, including a group of school children from his native Isle of Man.

This only continues Cavendish’s frustrating Tour to date.

Although he won stage five in Marseille, his hopes of wearing the yellow jersey on the opening day were ended by the chaos caused when Orica GreenEdge’s team bus jammed under the finish line, while he also crashed on stage six and was beaten in the sprint finish.

The tumbling Veelers caused alarm in the fast moving peloton but Chris Froome made it safely through and the Team Sky man retains the yellow jersey.

It remained to be seen if there would be any repercussions from Cavendish’s collision with Veelers.

Cavendish looked to cut across the Dutchman and give him a nudge, but only after Veelers had moved across the road in front of him.