Mark Cavendish and the Astana-Kazakstan team were not able to win in Dijon.

Astana-Cazakstan worked hard to keep Cavendish in front as the run-in to the city got faster and faster, but their leadout was caught by the peloton with 2 km to go at a critical pinch point before turning right into the chicane and the long finishing straight.

The race was over.

Cavendish struggled to move up in the final sprint of stage 6, but could not find a breakthrough. Cavendish was defeated and left the battle for the prize to lead-out man Cece Boll. Cavendish finished 19th, while the Dutchman was 14th.

Cavendish could only watch as Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco Alura) was surrounded by TV crews and photo crews across the finish line. Cavendish extended his hand to Groenewegen as they passed each other, saying, "Congratulations.

"The guys were really good today, they were confident all day and showed guts all day. It's frustrating, but we'll try again," Cavendish explained on the Astana Kazakstan bus, analyzing the sprints with his usual keen eye for detail and mistakes.

"I got a little mid-pack in the last couple of kilometers, which was not where I wanted to be going into the final roundabout.

"If that's the case, we need to fall back so we can drop a few positions and still maintain momentum. Everyone was on the front wheel and Michael followed suit. I lost some momentum and lost a few positions. I could have run along the barriers and risked catching up from last place, but that was a big risk to take and I didn't see it coming. But it was a big risk with no payback.

Cavendish suffered mechanical problems during this stage and was interfered with by a televised motorcycle. He received a fine of 200 Swiss francs, 15 UCI ranking points, 10 points for the green jersey, and a 40-second deduction from the overall standings.

"I had a mechanical problem. The chain got wrapped around and locked up under the bottom bracket," Cavendish told the American Tour de France broadcaster Peacock.

"The TV cameras came up to me and I panicked. He went into the middle of the road and stopped the convoy coming. That's how he got kicked out the back."

"TV cameras are there to capture images, not to influence the race. When outside controls affect the race, they panic. That's something you can't prepare for."

Cavendish was modest at the stage start in Macon, but was lauded during the stage for his record 35th win in the peloton.

"Last night was a bit weird. I was a little shocked. Everyone was super happy, but I was like, "What are we going to do now?" I was like, "What are we going to do now?"" he admitted.

"Geraint Thomas kept saying, 'Why are we starting today? But we're here as a team to win, and 35 is just a number that people use,

"We're trying to win as much as we can. Now that I've raced the Tour de France 15 times, it's clear that I have a lot of respect for this race. It's the Tour de France. I do everything I can to win and respect the Tour.

"It was really special during the stages, from the young riders to the older ones. The older guys [like Primoš Roglic] were saying, 'It gave me hope that I can still do it'"

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"Tom Pidcock came up to me and told me he was nine or so when I won my first stage. I was in the peloton today, surrounded by really happy people, and I felt very humbled. It was very inspiring."

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