Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) suffered misfortune today before racing truly got underway on stage 1 of the Abu Dhabi Tour. The Manxman was involved in a crash in the neutral zone when the race director’s car slowed suddenly as it led the peloton out of Madinat Zayed.
The reaction in the peloton saw four riders, including Cavendish go down. Unfortunately Cavendish had to abandon the Abu Dhabi Tour as a result of the crash.
“Mark sustained a concussion and a whiplash injury after his crash today,” explained team doctor Dr Adrian Rotunno. “Due to the concussion, we were not willing to risk rider safety and the call was made for Mark to stop the race.
“A serious neck injury has been excluded in hospital. He currently has some concussive symptoms and neck pain, but is otherwise stable. We will monitor Mark’s condition closely going forward.”
The stage from Madinat Zaya to Adnoc School continued without Cavendish as 5 riders made the break of the day. The sprint teams were easily able to control the escape, ensuring the 190-kilometre stage ended in a mass sprint.
European champion Alexander Kristoff (UAE – Team Emirates) won the stage ahead of Andrea Guardini (Bardiani-CSF) and Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott). Kristoff also took the first leader’s jersey of the race.
