Mark Cavendish (39) set for Tour de France record bid after delaying retirement following last year’s failure

Cavendish narrowly missed out on the victory that would have seen him surpass Eddy Merckx as the outright record holder before crashing out of what was thought to be his final Tour last summer.

But after reversing his decision to retire at the end of the 2023 season, the Manx sprinter is set for one more tilt at history across the three-week Grand Tour.

The 39-year-old, recently knighted, can count on the support of a loaded sprint squad on the Kazakh team, including long-time leadout man Michael Morkov.

The veteran Dane will be joined by Dutchman Cees Bol and Italian Davide Ballerini in a collection of fast-men that should set up Cavendish perfectly for the sprint finishes.

Alexey Lutsenko, whose Giro d’Italia was curtalied by illness, looks Astana Qazaqstan’s likeliest general classification threat, while Harold Tejada could also chase stage victory on lumpier terrain.

Mark Cavendish: Never Enough Trailer

Cavendish arrives at the Tour with two wins this season, and got valuable kilometres in his legs at the Tour de Suisse earlier in June.

His first shot at overtaking Merckx is likely to come on the 229km Stage Three from Piacenza to Turin, with this year’s Grand Depart being held in Italy.

Stages Five, Six and Eight may also offer opportunities for a bunch sprint with Cavendish likely to vie for victory among a crowded sprinting field.

Jumbo-Visma��s Wout van Aert, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Jasper Philipsen and Lotto-Dstny’s Arnaud De Lie are among those set to rival the veteran.