Mark Cavendish lagged behind his sprint rivals today and later told reporters that stomach problems kept him up overnight.
In quotes sent out from his Etixx-Quick Step team, Cavendish said that it was a day to hold on and survive.
Rival sprinter Andre Greipel took his third stage victory of this Tour.
“I was up last night with stomach problems,” Cavendish said. “In terms of the team’s tactics we prayed it would be an easy start. But we had the plan to get guys in the breakaway anyway. I felt empty at the start. It’s a shame because I was going good in the last couple of days. I had Mark Renshaw and Michal Golas with me, and we thought there was a chance we could come back.
“But once Katusha got on the front, and the TV cameras realize there’s a chase happening and so go to the front of the peloton, you know it’s going to be a long day for us guys behind. After about 30 kilometers we knew it was about surviving the day. We knew there wasn’t a chance to win with me. But we knew there were guys that were in the break, which is really good. It was a hard day for us, but I’m still in Le Tour de France. I’m looking forward to just trying to get to Paris and I hope I am not ill in the next days.”
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