In a surprising turn of events, Great Britain's Mark Cavendish, the undisputed sprint king of Tour de France over the past few years, surrendered to Germany in the final meters of Thursday's sprint showdown. Apparently, the loss left a bad taste in Cavendish's mouth; he swore never to use the bike again following a post-race meltdown.
"There's something wrong with the f------ bike! I don't want to use this f------ bike!" an exasperated Cavendish told reporters right after his loss in Stage 6., according to the Telegraph.
After winning the Stage 5, Cavendish wound up fourth in Stage 6 behind Germany's Marcel Kittel, Green Jersey wearer Peter Sagan and Greipel.
Thursday's frantic race also saw a change in the general classification standings with Daryl Impey becoming the first African to wear the Yellow Jersey in the history of Tour de France. Impey holds a three-second lead over Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway and five-second gap over Orica-GreenEDGE's teammates Simon Gerrans and Michael Albasini.
But things will likely shape up in the next three days as the Tour reaches the mountain stages.
Stage 7
July 5, 2013 - Montpellier to Albi, 205.5 km (127.7 mi)
Friday's race will serve as a warm-up before the big climbs on Saturday and Sunday. Stage 7 will take bikers through the Monts de Lacaune, including challenging climbs of the Col des 13 Vents ("The Pass of 13 Winds") and Category 2 Col de la Croix de Mounis (2,654 feet). However, cycling analysts believe it will still end up with a sprinter scoring a breakaway victory in the World Heritage Site city of Albi.
NBC Sports will continue its coverage of the 2013 Tour de France on Monday morning (7:30 EST) while TSM will supply live streaming links throughout the race
Tour de France Classification Standings - Click here
Tour de France Stage 7 Route Information - Click here
Tour de France Online Livestreaming NBC (With Subscriptions) and TSM (Free Online Streaming).
Tour de France Radio Streaming - Click here
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
