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. Christian Wilkins Womens Jersey . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. Mark Clayton Youth Jersey .com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to play spoiler as the Los Angeles Kings will try to match their longest winning streak in over four years in Thursdays battle at Staples Center. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Josh-rosen-dolphins-jersey/ . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster. Ryan Fitzpatrick Dolphins Jersey . The Earthquakes (6-9-7) were coming off a 5-0 loss at home last Saturday to FC Dallas. Even with the draw, the Sounders (13-7-3) climbed back into a tie for both the Western Conference and overall top spot in MLS. Seattle, West co-leader Real Salt Lake and East leader Sporting Kansas City all have 42 points. Jason Taylor Youth Jersey . The struggling New Orleans Pelicans were simply overmatched. Crawford hit seven 3s on his way to 24 points, and the Clippers beat the Pelicans 123-110 on Monday night. "We understand what we do well. If we all do what we do well, well make our team stronger," Crawford said.Loughborough Lightning will look to get their play-off campaign back on track when they face Celtic Dragons on Monday night, live on Sky Sports. Vitality Superleague table P Pts 1. Manchester Thunder 9 24 2. Hertfordshire Mavericks 8 21 3. Surrey Storm 9 18 4. Team Bath 9 18 5. Loughborough Lightning 8 12 6. Celtic Dragons 9 6 7. Team Northumbria 9 6 8. Yorkshire Jets 9 0 Karen Attkinsons Lightning currently sit in fifth place in the Vitality Superleague and are six points adrift of the top four, so victory on Monday will put them hot on the heels of Surrey Storm and Team Bath - who they both have to play in their final five games.ddddddddddddHowever, Loughborough will have to overcome some problems on their travels, having lost each of their three away games since victory on Super Saturday in Birmingham. Inconsistency has plagued the Lightnings season - they bounced back from back-to-back defeats to beat Yorkshire Jets last time out and a win in front of the Sky cameras will give them their first successive victories of the season. Corben targets Dragons wins We speak to Kadeen Corbin ahead of Mondays Sky Live encounter With Hertfordshire Mavericks and Manchester Thunder, as well as Surrey and Bath, all still to play, Lightnings destiny is very much in their own hands as they look to clinch a place in the top four having missed out last season.While Lightning have not played since their 52-39 victory over the Yorkshire Jets over a week ago, the Dragons come into the clash buoyed by an impressive showing in defeat to league leaders Manchester Thunder on Saturday.The Dragons lost out by just three points and will be looking to continue their recent improvement which saw them record back-to-back victories against Yorkshire Jets and Team Northumbria after starting the season with six successive defeats. Celtic Dragons are chasing a third win of the season A heavy loss to Hertfordshire followed in Round Eight but a spirited showing against the leaders sets them up for Mondays clash.The pair have already met once this season - Loughborough coming out on top with a 58-53 success - and the signs are that it will be another close contest at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff.You can follow all the action on Sky Sports 1 from 7:30pm on Monday night. Also See: Kadeen Corbin exclusive interview Vitality Superleague fixtures Table Live on Sky ' ' '