Mark Cavendish out of hospital, Tadej Pogačar wins Velo d’Or prize

Mark Cavendish leaves Belgian hospital

Mark Cavendish is out of a Belgian hospital following his high-speed crash at the Six Days of Ghent event Sunday.

The British star is back home in Essex and continues to recovery from two rib fractures that he sustained in a serious crash at the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent on Sunday afternoon. A collapsed lung improved enough that he was allowed to leave the University Hospital, Het Nieuwsblad reported Thursday.

Cavendish, meanwhile, has yet to finalize his contract with Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl for 2022. The deal was reportedly set to be signed Monday, but Cavendish’s crash meant it was postponed, Het Nieuwsblad reported.

Just want to say how overwhelmed & thankful I am for all the support and well-wishes.
So @zesdaagseGent didn’t end the way we’d have preferred, I think it’s fair to say 😅 Some water on the track, a high speed crash and a few barrel rolls later, I’m being treated for some pic.twitter.com/Alvhn1Jnjk

— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) November 22, 2021

Tadej Pogačar wins Vélo d’Or prize

Tadej Pogačar won the Vélo d’Or prize after being named as best international cyclist by French cycling magazine Vélo.

Pogačar wins the prize for the first time in his career, and an international panel of journalists voted the Slovenian into the top spot following an exceptional season that included a title defense at the Tour de France, victories at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia, among a 13-win season.

Pogačar won ahead of such nominees as Wout van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe, Primož Roglič, and Annemiek van Vleuten, the only female nominee for the international prize. Alaphilippe won the award for best French rider.

Cyclisme. Tadej Pogacar remporte le Vélo d’Or international 2021, Julian Alaphilippe plébiscité au niveau français – https://t.co/ZfOnI8ZSHO

— Miroir du Cyclisme (@Miroir2Cyclisme) November 25, 2021