Mark Cavendish was unable to win the first stage of the Tour of Britain but for once he was pleased with a third place. Having crashed hard earlier in the stage, he had to do the sprint seated and was taken to hopsital after the stage.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Mark Cavendish, despite crashing into a car at 104.8km Tour of Britain Stage 1 on Sunday, came back to finish 3rd in a hectic group arrival with not much organization at the front in the final kilometer.

Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) was able to catch and pass an early launching Adam Blythe (NFTO) and won the stage over Nicola Ruffoni (Bardiani - CSF) and the Manx Missile.

The race came back together with 3.3km to go in the stage, and NetApp - Endura led the peloton into the final kilometer. However, organization for the sprint became chaotic at that point.

"I had to change my cleats in the beginning of the stage," Cavendish said. "I was coming back after and I was behind a car. Someone had to stop for a puncture so the car slammed on its brakes, and there was an island in the road. If I went right, I would hit a traffic island, so I went left and I whacked another car. I hit it with my left leg and I was down on the road.

"I felt immediately a lot of pain on my quadriceps. It took me a lap to come back even because our team car couldn't assist me immediately because it was on the front.

"At that point I wasn't planning to sprint either, it was painful. But after a couple of laps we decided to just try anyway, but sprint seated because I was in pain. I still got 3rd, but it's a shame because I really wanted to try and win in front of the British public. But accidents like this are a part of cycling and it's just a matter of bad luck. I really hope that the luck turns in the next days..."