Mark Cavendish crashes out of Tour de France

British cyclist Mark Cavendish's bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win ended after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.

Cavendish suffered a fall 140km into stage eight that left the star rider with what appeared to be a broken collarbone.

The 38-year-old was racing his final Tour de France in an effort to break the all time record of 34 stage wins he shares with Eddy Merckx.

Cavendish held his right arm after crashing on Saturday, and then held his head in disbelief as he climbed into the race ambulance where doctors strapped his shoulder.