Mark Cavendish has been forced to pull out of the Tour de France after dislocating his shoulder on the first stage of this year’s race.

Cavnedish’s Omega Pharma-QuickStep team confirmed on Twitter that he had a scan on his right shoulder which revealed torn ligaments and an AC-joint dislocation.

To his credit, the 2011 green-jersey winner took full responsibility for the crash just metres from the finish line in Harrogate early on Sunday morning (AEST), in which he took down Australian Orica-GreenEDGE leader Simon Gerrans.

“I’m gutted about the crash today,” Cavendish said yesterday.

“It was my fault. I’ll personally apologise to Simon Gerrans as soon as I get the chance.

“In reality, I tried to find a gap that wasn’t really there. I wanted to win today.

“I felt really strong and in a great position to contest the sprint thanks to the unbelievable efforts of my team.

“Sorry to all the fans that came out to support – it was truly incredible.”