Giro d’Italia 2023: 'Rode it to the ground' – Mark Cavendish praised for bike skills despite crash on Stage 5

ByBen Snowball

Published 10/05/2023 at 17:12 GMT

It was a wet and wild day at the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday, with Mark Cavendish among those to hit the tarmac heavily as he chased a first stage win with Astana Qazaqstan. Remco Evenepoel also crossed the finish line battered and bruised after crashing twice, while Kaden Groves was left to bask in a victory few were focusing on after the drama behind.

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) was lauded for his incredible bike handling on The Breakaway despite crashing in a dramatic sprint on Stage 5 at the Giro d’Italia.

A hellish day saw pre-race favourite Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) crash twice – once after a dog ran into the peloton – and Cavendish slide on his torso across the finish line behind winner Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

Cavendish was in the mix for a long overdue victory when he brushed shoulders with Alberto Dainese (DSM) on the slippery surface, causing him to lose balance, lurch across the road, nudge a rider from Green Project Bardiani in the barriers, and finally hit the tarmac.

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Remarkably, he returned to his feet shortly after the incident, with replays showing the Manx Missile clinging to his handlebars until the last possible moment – which Robbie McEwen and Adam Blythe suggested spared him a serious injury.

“That’s the skills of not just professional cyclists but sprinters,” said McEwen on The Breakaway.

“At 65-70kph…you’ll do anything and everything to keep yourself from going down. Cav is catapulted from left to right, hits the rider from Green Project Bardiani and then came down awkwardly. In the end, it’s probably the smoothest he could have possibly landed – he rode it to the ground.”

Stage 5 highlights: Dog and crash drama for Evenepoel as Groves wins

The Manx Missile’s chief goal for this year is to surpass Eddy Merckx’s haul of Tour de France stage victories, with the pair currently locked on 34 wins.

“His bike came from under him and he was off it, flying through the air, still holding his handlebars which is sometimes the best way,” said Blythe.

“As soon as you put your hand down, that’s your collarbone gone.

• Drama on Stage 5 as Cavendish slides across the line
• Pinot shows bike handling skills to avoid crash

“He’s crashed a few times in his career…he knows how to crash properly. Holding onto his bike, not letting go of it, forces him to fall without putting his hand down.”

The 37-year-old is in Italy chasing a first win with his new team, who are making the transition from GC powerhouses to sprint hopefuls.

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Stream the 2023 Giro d'Italia live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

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