Doull, who won Olympic gold with Bradley Wiggins in the Team Pursuit at Rio, was caught up in Marcel Kittel's shunt
BRITISH cyclist Owain Doull could have hoped for a better debut race for Team Sky.
The Welshman was caught up in a crash as he rode in the Abu Dhabi Tour race, and suffered a nasty looking injury to his backside.
It was his first race for Team Sky following a burst appendix - so getting caught after German Marcel Kittel started a shunt was the last thing he needed.
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As Doull picked himself up off the floor, he sported a huge red graze that appeared to have cut.
He also suffered cuts on his foot, caused by disc brake, that will once again bring into question the safety of these in elite-level racing.
The Welsh ace, 23, had hoped for a debut in last month's Tour Down Under but ended up in hospital having an operation.
Now Doull, who got Olympic team pursuit gold with Bradley Wiggins in Rio, finally started the Tour today - but not in the way he would have liked.
Prior to the event, the 23-year-old joked: "Attempting to make my debut again. Fingers crossed I don't lose an organ this time."
He may not have lost an organ, but he did lose a layer of skin by the looks of it.
Mark Cavendish survived the late carnage to blast to his first win of the year at the Abu Dhabi Tour.
The Manx Missile triumphed after arch rival Kittel crashed in a pile-up as the riders went under the 1km left barrier on stage one.
Cavendish was beaten three times by the German, who will be his chief Tour de France threat, when he opened his season in Dubai earlier this month.
