Cavendish Withdraws From Tour De Suisse

Last updated : 18 June 2010 By Covsupport News Service
British cyclist Mark Cavendish was forced to withdraw from the Tour de Suisse today.

The HTC Colombia rider had an unclassified time in yesterday's sixth stage but according to Eurosport, pulled out of the 204km seventh stage from Savognin to Wetzikon and flew home to attend the funeral of his grandmother.

Cavendish did start the seventh stage but the time of the finish made it impossible to catch his flight, so he started five minutes behind the peleton and rode three hills before jumping into the team car and heading for the airport.

The Tour de Suisse has not been good to Cavendish who crashed as he sped for the line on Tuesday's stage and was fined, given a time penalty and Sent To Coventry by some of the riders who later accepted his apologies.

Cavendish is set to compete in the British Road Racing Championship on June 27th before taking his place in the HTC Colombia team for the Tour De France which starts in Rotterdam on July 3rd.

The German national team may have lost this afternoon but there was a German winner as Magnus Berghardt went clear with 36km to go and stayed away to win the stage.

Rabobank's Oscar Freire was second with Omega Pharma Greg Van Avermaet third.

Rabobank's Robert Gesink leads the General Classification.
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According to the Guardian, the Team Sky team for the Tour France is more or less known. The paper claims that Bradley Wiggins will lead the nine man team with fellow Brit Steve Cummings plus Edvald Boasson Hagen, Kurt Asle Arvesen, Thomas Löfkvist, Simon Gerrans and Juan Antonio Flecha plus one more.

Most teams will confirm their riders by June 30th.

Team Manager David Brailsford has promised that a British team will win the Tour De France within five years.
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