Mark Cavendish has crashed out of the opening stage of this year’s Abu Dhabi Tour.

In a bizarre incident right at the start of Wednesday’s racing, the race director’s car appeared to slow down, forcing riders to break quickly which caused several to hit the ground.

One of those was Cavendish who was hurt in the accident, holding the same shoulder he injured when pulling out of last year’s Tour de France.

While it initially doesn’t appear to be a serious injury, it could well complicate the Manx Missile’s preparations for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

More in Thursday’s Manx Independent.