Cavendish hurt in Qatar crash

Team Sky's Mark Cavendish was hurt Friday in a crash at the conclusion of a dramatic final stage at the 2012 Tour of Qatar. The 2011 road world champion came to grief in the closing stages following a coming together with Roger Kluge and Tyler Farrar and came off worst, crashing to the tarmac and suffering gashes to his legs and his left shoulder. Cavendish dusted himself down and completed the final few metres to the finish on a spare bike.

The 26-year-old Briton, winner of two stages of the race earlier in the week after getting over an illness, is expected to recover in time for next week's Tour of Oman according to Team Sky press officer Nick Howes.

"Mark hasn't broken anything but he's pretty bruised," Howes told Cyclingnews. "It was a nasty incident, but we are pretty sure at this stage that it won't have any bearing on his participation in Oman."

Friday's final stage was won by the young French rider Armaud Demare, while Belgium's Tom Boonen secured the overall GC for the fourth time in his career.

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Mark joined the Cyclingnews team in October 2011 and has a strong background in journalism across numerous sports. His interest in cycling dates back to Greg LeMond's victories in the 1989 and 1990 Tours, and he has a self-confessed obsession with the career and life of Fausto Coppi.