Tour de France 2021 - Mark Cavendish apologises for angry outburst at mechanic before Stage 19

ByEurosport

Updated 16/07/2021 at 21:09 GMT

Mark Cavendish has issued a public apology after a video emerged of him angrily reacting to a Deceuninck–Quick-Step mechanic not fixing an issue with his bike. Britain's Cavendish is aiming to break Eddy Merckx's record for stage wins at the Tour de France. The green jersey holder was embraced by Merckx just before the race as the pair shared a warm moment.

Mark Cavendish has clarified his reasons for his angry outburst ahead of Stage 19 of the Tour de France in a message on Instagram.

Cavendish was seen arguing with a mechanic ahead of the stage which saw Bahrain Victorious' Matej Mohoric ride clear of a 20-man break to solo to glory at Libourne.

The 36-year-old Brit started the day embracing Eddy Merckx with the two cycling greats past and present locked together on 34 Tour stage wins each.

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But Cavendish was made to wait for another stage win on Friday and was visibly upset with his bike ahead of the stage as he stormed off onto the team bus in anger in front of onlookers.

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Cavendish has apologised for his actions and insists there are no issues between him and anyone from the Deceuninck–Quick-Step team.

"Many of you will have seen the video from the start of today’s stage," he wrote.

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"During a day of the Tour de France, as riders we are put in a perilous situation and I wanted my bike to be perfect, in order to help me stay safe.

"My bike had some problems when I got on it this morning. Despite this, I should not have reacted in the way that I did and not so publicly.

"I've been extremely close friends with my mechanics for over a decade and they’ve worked tirelessly to ensure I’ve always been safe and successful. Although they know how short I can be when I'm stressed, no-one, especially those you care about, deserve to have a voice raised to them.

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"Truly, one of the biggest factors of the success of the Deceuninck–Quick-Step team is that we are a family, and we love and care for each other, and conversations should be kept within that family.

"We have now spoken about what happened and as a group the Wolfpack will do our best to have a successful finish to Tour de France 2021."

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