Prince William handshake ‘blamed’ for Tour de France exodus of riders including Cavendish, Froome, Contador, Schleck, Costa

HAS Prince William’s handshake cursed the Tour de France? That’s the latest superstition to hit the peleton as riders to have tangled with the royal bite the dust.

LEEDS, ENGLAND - JULY 05: (l to r) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry pose at the official start of stage one of the 2014 Tour de France, a 190km stage between Leeds and Harrogate, on July 5, 2014 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

ONE of cycling’s enduring superstitions is the so-called “curse of the rainbow jersey” - the unfortunate tendency of riders to have disappointing seasons while wearing the rainbow-striped jersey of world champion.

The abandon of Rui Costa, the Portuguese world champion who dropped out of the Tour with a case of pneumonia, has not only added to the mythology of this curse, but helped fuel talk of a new one.

The so-called “Curse of the Prince’s Handshake.”

Former world champion Mark Cavendish, right, ponders what horrors may have just been set in train.

Of five riders who shook hands with Prince William and his wife Kate at the Tour’s ceremonial start in Leeds, none are still in the race:

- Mark Cavendish: Crashed out on Stage 1.

Prince William surveys his mythical handiwork after Mark Cavendish crashed in the opening stage.

- Andy Schleck: Abandoned after Stage 3 with a knee injury suffered in a crash.

It was an unhappy race for Andy Schleck after tangling with the Prince.

- Chris Froome: Abandoned after multiple crashes in Stage 5.

Defending champion Chris Froome rides battered after a nasty fall that forced him out of the Tour.

- Alberto Contador: Crashed out with a broken leg in Stage 10.

Former champion Alberto Contador assesses his broken leg in the Tour.

- Rui Costa: Abandoned before start of Stage 16 with pneumonia.

World champion Rui Costa, left, doesn’t know how much trouble he’s in at this point.

With next year’s Tour due to start in the Netherlands, riders may well beware of any royal handshakes from the Dutch royal family before the race kicks off in Utrecht.

Originally published as Prince William handshake ‘blamed’ for Tour de France exodus of riders including Cavendish, Froome, Contador, Schleck, Costa