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A touch of wheels at the back of the peloton saw the Manxman come down hard with 61 kilometres to go in Stage 8, and he stayed down in visible pain while other riders involved quickly got back into the race.
It was a heart-in-mouth moment for all watching and the worst case scenario played out as Cavendish withdrew from the stage and later the race, heading to hospital where his team later confirmed he had broken his collarbone.
Coming into his farewell Tour de France chasing a 35th stage win that would've seen him break the all-time record, it was a devastating end to a campaign that was picking up serious steam after Cavendish had finished a narrow second to Jasper Philipsen in Stage 7 the day prior.
As the news filtered through the peloton after Stage 8, there was a collective heartbreak amongst riders who all had a great deal of respect and admiration for a true legend of the sport.
David de la Cruz (Astana-Qazaqstan, teammate)
"Mark is one of the most charismatic riders I’ve ever met. I’ve been with many good riders. He was giving a lot of good energy to the team, he always brought a good mood.
You could see that every day there was a lot of expectation of Astana-Qazaqstan, he was the most key rider of this team so far in the Tour de France."
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
"For me, it was a pleasure to be able to race with Mark. I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton, and it’s so sad that such a legend has to finish the Tour like this.
"He still owes me a jersey – we need a jersey swap – but I wish all the best for Mark and hopefully I can do the last race he’s going to do as well, to honour a legend who stops in cycling."
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
"When I heard in the race he’d crashed it was a sad moment, because he’s in good shape now. I think everybody here wanted him to win one stage and yesterday he was super close. It’s a bad moment.
"For sure he was one of my favourites, when we were kids, watching HTC-Highroad, him sprinting on the Champs-Élysées and stuff like that we just wanted to have his style, his legs. It’s a real shame, everyone wants to see him go for one more win. He said that it was his final year. Maybe not."
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
"I’m very sad to hear about Mark. I spoke with him a few times in my first Tour de France and also this year. He’s a super nice guy and I would have loved to see him take the 35th stage win.
"I still remember when I was a kid watching him with all his celebrations, the Oakley glasses, the telephone. He was my big idol. It’s really a big shame for him, I hope he’s okay."
Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious)
"It’s heartbreaking really. I’ve only just found out now, I mean you could tell there was carnage going on behind, but we were just fighting, fighting, fighting to be in the front the whole time.
"I mean… it’s just… it’s just terrible, terrible news, because I think it was coming. As much as I want Phil [Bauhaus] to win his stage, I think Cav was due the 35th this Tour. He showed it yesterday. Just gotta congratulate him on a great career, I’ve learned a lot from him."
