Rod Ellingworth knew Mark Cavendish better than anyone else in professional cycling and was acutely aware of the Manxman's suffering when he crashed at the Tour de France, ending his dreams and hopes of a record 35th stage win.

Ellingworth, now team manager of the Ineos Grenadiers, saw Cavendish's true potential and determination as a teenager when performance coaches doubted his wattage and physical attributes.

Ellingworth fueled Cavendish's determination to succeed as a sprinter and turn pro, and was the mastermind behind Cavendish's project to win the world title in Copenhagen in 2011.

The two are now on different teams, but are very close. Ellingworth immediately empathized with Cavendish after his crash and was saddened to see him leave the race in an ambulance. He felt the pain of the broken collarbone and knows what this means for Cavendish and his family.

"When he got into the ambulance, I could see . I saw it," Ellingworth told CyclingNews after his goal in Limoges.

"First of all, I'm thinking about Mark and his family. It's a very sad, big moment for them."

Ellingworth said.

Ellingworth sorted out the events for Cavendish and the sport.

"If he had finished the Tour and missed out on a stage win, that would have been one thing, but to crash in the Tour like that, it's so horrible," he explained.

"It's a tragedy for him and it's a tragedy for the whole sport. We were all robbed of a great opportunity for him to win stage 35. It's a shame for everyone and everyone should feel sadness."

Ellingworth knew before anyone else that Cavendish would retire in 2023.

Ellingworth believed that Cavendish could win the Tour de France sprint in his last race. Ellingworth did not rule out the possibility that Cavendish would win a sprint race at the Tour de France in 2024.

"I wasn't odds-on to win stage 35, but I had a good chance," Ellingworth said honestly. 'I don't want to speculate about his future at this point, but knowing Cav, who knows .......'