Mark Cavendish was taken to the hospital on Saturday after crashing during a spring finish at the first stage of the Tour de France as Marcel Kittel was able to pull out the victory.

Cavendish dislocated his right shoulder in the crash and needed an MRI to determine the extent of the injury before deciding whether he will have to drop out of the race after only the first day, BBC News reports.

The crash occurred towards the end of the stage when the British sprinter collided with fellow rider Simon Gerrans. He was still able to get back on his bike and cross the finish line.

"It was my fault, I'll apologize to Simon," Cavendish said after the race. "I tried to find a gap that was not there, I wanted to win."

The veteran sprinter added that he "felt really strong" during the opening stage ahead of the accident. "Sorry to all the fans that came to support - it was truly incredible."

According to The Associated Press, German rider Kittels took victory over the 118-mile stage, with Slovakia's Peter Sagan a close second. Ramunas Navardauskas, of Lithuania, finished third.

image courtesy of INFevents.com