Mark Cavendish sets off in Florence aiming for most stage wins
This year's Tour de France gets underway today, with Sir Mark Cavendish hoping to make history.
The 'Manx Missile' is one of Astana Qazaqstan's eight-strong squad taking on the prestigious grand tour for 2024 which starts this morning (29 June) and runs through until 21 July.
He's currently the joint all-time Tour de France stage wins record holder on 34 victories alongside cycling legend Eddie Merckx.
Monday’s Stage 3 is widely expected to be the first to end in a field sprint, so may be the first chance he gets to edge up to 35.
Last year, Cavendish was forced to withdraw from the tour part-way through because of injuries sustained in a crash on stage eight.
Before heading to the start line, the Manxman told the BBC he 'doesn't have anything to lose' going into the competition:
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