HARROGATE, England -- Marcel Kittel of Germany won the first stage of the Tour de France for a second straight year after a late crash brought down British rival Mark Cavendish in the presence of royals on Saturday. Kittel, who earned four Tour stages last year, won the 190.5-kilometre (118-mile) run in mainly bucolic Yorkshire countryside from Leeds to Harrogate. The German raised his arms skyward and cried after he edged Peter Sagan of Slovakia in second, and Ramunas Navardauskas of Lithuania in third. "I am incredibly proud of this victory," Kittel, a Team Giant-Shimano rider who also won two Giro dItalia stages in May, said through a translator. "It happened pretty easily. It was like coming out of a tunnel. I was able to accelerate like never before. "Its really awesome. Deja vu, yeah." Christian Meier of Langley, B.C., was the top Canadian, finishing 141st in 4:44:07, while Svein Tuft, also from Langley, placed 163rd in the same peloton. The two favourites for victory in the three-week race, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome, finished safely in the trailing pack that clocked the same time as Kittel. With fewer than 400 metres to go, and the speedsters rushing ahead, Cavendish veered slightly to his left, tilted his head and bumped into Australias Simon Gerrans. The two crashed alone, with Cavendish landing hard on his right shoulder. Cavendish got up gingerly and cruised over the finish line -- cradling his right arm. X-rays revealed he separated his right shoulder, a Tour statement said. Omega Pharma QuickStep said in a separate statement that a decision about whether he will continue the race will be made on Sunday morning. "Im gutted about the crash today," Cavendish said in the statement. "It was my fault. Ill personally apologize to Simon Gerrans as soon as I get the chance. In reality, I tried to find a gap that wasnt really there. I wanted to win today." Many British fans were hoping for a win by Cavendish, a native of the Isle of Man, whose mother is from Harrogate. Prime Minister David Cameron, Princes William and Harry, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, were on hand among throngs of British fans who lined the route -- a testament to the cycling craze in the U.K. England hosts the first three stages of this 101st Tour before riders enter France on Tuesday. In all, the 198 riders are to cover 3,664 kilometres (2,277 miles) of road before the July 27 finish in Paris. Stage 2 on Sunday covers 201 kilometres from York to Sheffield, in southern Yorkshire. Cavendish previously said that winning the first Tour stage was his main goal this year. He was hoping to capture his first yellow jersey and his 26th Tour stage win. "Its sad because he (Cavendish) was racing in front of the home country," Sagan said. Added Kittel: "I hope he gets well soon. Im looking forward to seeing him on the race tomorrow ... its not nice to have Mark crash. Nobody wants that." A second German excelled on the English roads: Veteran Jens Voigt took the polka-dot jersey as the races best climber, after getting out early on a three-man breakaway that first cleared three low-grade hills including Buttertubs pass. At 42, the Trek Factory Racing rider is the oldest competitor this year: This is his 17th Tour, equaling the record. The nervous first day included more mishaps. Untold tens of thousands of fans turned out in such big numbers that a train service shuttle between the start and finish towns was crammed, and some had to wait for 90 minutes or even longer to get aboard -- or gave up altogether. Yorkshire, the largest county in England, has paid richly for the right to host the Tour. The peloton sped by abbeys in ruins and sights like 14th century Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, before finishing in Harrogate, known for its spas. Nearly three dozen countries are represented at this Tour, led by France with 44 riders. Its the second time cyclings greatest race has begun in Britain, though the Tour also crossed the English Channel for stages in 1974 and 1994. Diego Reyes Jersey . The Calgary Stampeders running back received the West Division nomination for the CFLs top individual award Thursday in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada and leagues eight head coaches. Mexico Jerseys . Torres calmly stroked a 51st-minute spot kick down the middle with goalkeeper Romel Quinonez diving right to convert a penalty earned by Javi Martinez. Spain controlled play at the Sanchez Pizjuan but found it hard to convert against a well-organized Bolivian team before Iniesta charged forward to curl around Quinonez in the 84th to seal victory. http://www.soccermexicojerseysteamstore.com/giovani-dos-santos-mexico-jersey/ . LA (SportsNetwork. Carlos Vela Jersey . Helwani said that Weidman has been dealing with recurring swelling and pain in his knees related to torn meniscus he suffered as a teenager and the problems came to a head last week when he suffered prolonged swelling and pain in his left knee, resulting in the decision to undergo an arthroscopic scope procedure to clean up the tear in both knees. Javier Aquino Jersey . -- Chris Jones and Louisville have done a tremendous job protecting the basketball this season and thats led to easy victories.Andy Murray will be required to conjure up more of his remarkable powers of recovery if he is to make it through to the knock-out stages of the ATP World Tour Finals on Friday. Having beaten Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori, the world No 1 only needs to win a set against Stan Wawrinka to guarantee his passage through to the semi-finals at the O2 Arena for the first time since 2012. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price But he will have to drag his weary body through another tough test as an explosive season finale draws ever closer. World No 3 Wawrinka showed much better form in beating Cilic on Wednesday than he had in his limp loss to Nishikori and the Swiss knows that a straight-sets win over Murray would maintain his record of always reaching the last four. Sky Live: Murray v Wawrinka Andy Murray takes on Stan Wawrinka at ATP World Tour Finals Nothing comes easy against the very best players in the world, let alone against the US Open champion who has suddenly clicked in London - something Sky Sports analyst Mark Petchey acknowledges.Wawrinka is always the wildcard in the pack, hes the guy that when hes confident, hes got the power to get through tough surfaces and he does a lot of things well, said Petchey. He moves better than people give him credit for and as I say it was an intelligent performance with the use of the slice. Its not just about the power and the showbiz tennis. Wawrinka beat Murray at the Tour Finals in London last year Friday will be the 17th meeting between the pair, with Murray leading the head-to-head record 9-7, and when they do clash, sparks usually fly.Wawrinka, who sealed his first major title at the 2014 Australian Open before winning an ATP Tour1000 event, last faced the Scot in the French Open semi-finals.That was one of Murrays most impressive performances of the season and ended a run of three straight losses to Wawrinka, including at the O2 last year with qualification at stake. Murray also suffered a 6-1 6-2 defeat to Wawrinka at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2013 Wawrinka, who faces a battle to hold on to the world No 3 ranking, said: All I know is, if I want to have a chance to qualify, I need to win.dddddddddddd. Thats all Im trying to do.Im going to try to play my best tennis, to beat the world No 1. Its going to be a tough match. We played each other many times.The hardcourt surface at the O2 Arena will suit Wawrinkas heavy hitting style of game from both flanks, but hell have a job breaking down a resilient Murray. The 29-year-old is a totally different prospect to the one he faced in the US Open quarter-finals and Monte Carlo Masters in 2013. Mark Petchey and Greg Rusedski discuss Murray’s epic win over Nishikori and his chances against Wawrinka Arguably the most famous meeting between the two came under the Wimbledon lights in 2009 in a contest lasting three minutes short of four hours, which the Scot won in dramatic fashion. Could it more of the same on Friday?Obviously its going to be a tough match, said Petchey. Theyve had a lot of tough matches in the past and this will be another one.Andy is the form player right now and Im sure inside hes feeling pretty invincible every match he steps out on court. WATCH: Murrays double take Andy Murrays remarkable winner against Kei Nishikori was reminiscent of his winner in Rome Weve got a couple of guys out here who are Grand Slam champions who both believe they can win every single match they step out on court with, no matter who theyre playing, where theyre playing in the world, on what surface theyre playing in the world.So both of those players are going to go into that clash on Friday believing and knowing at the moment they still need to win it. Murrays service syndrome over? Andy Murrays service syndrome may be a thing of the past Should Murray win his group, he would play the winner of Thursday evenings clash between Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals. Let battle commence...Check our game-by-game coverage from all group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals in London - including Andy Murray v Stan Wawrinka on Friday afternoon - on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Murray beats Nishikori in epic WATCH: Murrays double take One of the best matches ever Wawrinka keeps hopes alive ' ' '