Mark Cavendish out of Abu Dhabi Tour on opening day with concussion

"Mark sustained a concussion and a whiplash injury after his crash today," Team Dimension Data's Team Doctor, Dr Adrian Rotunno, said.

"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.”