( CNN ) -- He was hoping to triumph in front of his home fans , but it all went horribly wrong for cycling star Mark Cavendish -- with members of the Royal family watching . With the 101st Tour de France starting in Britain this year , all eyes were on Cavendish in Saturday 's opening stage in Yorkshire . But the 29-year-old , one of the most successful sprinters in the race 's history , dislocated his right shoulder and suffered ligament damage after colliding with rival Simon Gerrans during the finish . Germany 's Marcel Kittel won the 190.5-kilometer ( 118-mile ) stage to take an early advantage in the month-long race , which is commencing in the UK for the first time since 2007 . Cavendish , from the Isle of Man , admitted his maneuver was reckless and took full responsibility for the clash . `` It was my fault , I 'll apologize to Simon . I tried to find a gap that was not there , I wanted to win , '' Cavendish was quoted as saying by the UK 's Press Association . `` I felt really strong and was in a great position to contest the sprint thanks to the unbelievable efforts of my team . Sorry to all the fans that came out to support -- it was truly incredible . '' An MRI scan later is expected to reveal the full extent of Cavendish 's injuries and confirm whether he is fit enough to continue . `` Mark had lived this sprint in his mind at least 100 times before , '' his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team boss Patrick Lefevere said . `` He was so focused , he wanted to win so badly . It was so important for him . '' Yorkshire police estimated that as many as one million people lined the streets along the route , the vast majority no doubt hoping to witness a Cavendish victory , while the race was seen off by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge . William and Kate , along with Prince Harry , later had a clear view of Cavendish 's crash . His spill in the final 200 meters enabled Giant-Shimano rider Kittel to race clear and take the yellow jersey ahead of Slovakia 's Peter Sagan and Lithuania 's Ramunas Navardauskas . `` I hope he gets well soon , '' Kittel said of Cavendish , who has won 25 Tour stages in his career and claimed the green jersey for top sprinter in 2011 . `` I do n't know how badly he is injured . I hope he is all right . I 'm looking forward to hopefully seeing him tomorrow in the race again . I wish him all the best . '' The 26-year old , who also won last year 's opening stage , paid tribute to the enthusiastic Yorkshire crowd as well as his teammates who set him up for the win . `` It was so unbelievably loud . The fans were cheering , '' he said . `` My boys did an amazing job , they rode so strong . I felt so motivated and I had good legs today . I 'm so , so happy that this worked . '' Defending champion Chris Froome , who leads Cavendish 's former outfit Team Sky , finished sixth after avoiding the fallout of the crash . `` It 's unreal , absolutely unreal , '' Froome said . `` The crowds out there were just incredible . `` Just a shame for Cav in the final there . It would 've been nice to have a British victory today , but that 's racing . `` Today was more about staying out of trouble , getting to the finish without any big issues . '' Sunday 's stage two will take the riders 201 kilometers ( 124 miles ) from York to Sheffield , featuring roughly 3,000 meters of climbing .
Mark Cavendish dislocates his shoulder in Tour de France crash . Tour 's final stage won by Germany 's Marcel Kittel . Early stages of Tour taking place in UK for first time in seven years . Royal family launches historic first leg in London .