Mark Cavendish fractures another rib in Milano–Sanremo crash

The Manxman hit a central divider with 10 kilometres remaining, sending him somersaulting over his handlebars and onto his back. He was taken to a local hospital for medical checks.

"Mark Cavendish sustained no serious injury following a major crash within 10 kilometres of the finish of Milan-Sanremo on Saturday," his team Dimension Data said in a statement.

"He did sustain a new rib fracture (5th) on the same side as the one that he damaged in the opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico (7th).

"He also has bruising and abrasions consistent with the scale of the crash as well as a possible ‘ligamentous ankle injury’ that will require further assessment once he returns home on Saturday."

Cavendish, who was making his first appearance since a first-stage crash at Tirreno-Adriatico, was in a large leading pack as the race wound towards the final climb, but his hopes of repeating his triumph in 2009 were dashed when he crashed into the bollard.

Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali held on during a tense finale to claim his first victory in the Classic on home soil.