As a reflection of the rapidly growing popularity of cycling in Great Britain and as homage to the huge success enjoyed by British riders during the past few years the 2014 Tour de France will kick off in Yorkshire, in Leeds, next July.

Evidently the organisers and the British hosts are most eager to maximise the opportunity for a sprinter to claim the yellow jersey on the opening stage. And not just any sprinter, but one sprinter in particular. Thus the opening stage has been absolutely tailor made to suit the characteristics of Mark Cavendish. The 2013 edition of the Tour de France was the first time in several decades for the opening stage to be favourable to a bunch sprint, thus giving an uncommon chance for the sprinters to take yellow. Race organisers ASO have decided to repeat that formula next time round and the route of the stage, as revealed today, makes it almost certain that a mass sprint will decide matters at the end of the 191 kilometre race from Leeds to Harrogate, and thus the stage has been set to favour Cavendish in a very thinly veiled attempt to please the home crowd.

Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) was present at the presentation of next year’s route in Paris earlier today. Specifying his objectives instantly after the route of next year’s Tour de France was disclosed, Cavendish stated that, surprise, surprise, he is determined to try to win stage one of the race and to take what would undoubtedly be a popular early lead in the Tour by a British rider on British soil.

“The first stage finishes in my home town,” said Cavendish, referring to the place where his mother hails from and where he spent part of his childhood. “A lot of my family will be there. We have an apartment fifty metres from the finish line. I used to stay there two or three times a year as a child, right by the finish line. It will be the second opportunity in my career to try for the yellow jersey. Obviously I missed it this year and I would like to try again for the stage win and the yellow jersey. But, ultimately [the aim is] to have a successful week at home and then to come back to France and carry on with it for three weeks.”

Over the past five years Cavendish has undoubtedly been the outstanding sprinter in the Tour de France, but this year he was well and truly beaten on several occasions, including the final stage in Paris, by German Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano), who made no secret of his desire to throw a spanner in the wheel of Cavendish, the ASO and the British hosts next July. Cavendish, to his credit, freely acknowledged during this year’s Tour that the German rider was the superior sprinter and that he himself might not have arrived at the Tour in peak condition after dominating the sprints of the Giro d’Italia by winning five stages. Kittel, significantly, did not participate in this year’s Giro.

Traditionally a prologue opens the Tour de France but this year the ASO chose differently and has elected to do so again in 2014 to the delight of Cavendish.

“It is difficult for a sprinter to wear the yellow jersey these days. But Christian Prudhomme [the race director] has been great in suiting the race for sprinters last year and this year. It’s great to have that opportunity. I obviously missed that this year and it would make it completely special to do it in my mother’s home town as well. I'm excited to try for a sprint finish there and have a second attempt at a yellow jersey. It didn't work out this year, but it would be brilliant to pull it on in front of a home crowd in 2014. "

Should he fail again to take the yellow jersey on the opening stage, Cavendish will have other opportunities as he pointed out when speaking to Cyclingquotes.com.

"The third stage should be a sprint too," Cavendish said. "It's a couple kilometres from one of my homes and I know the road around there very well. It's an iconic finish in London again before coming into France and then into Belgium, the home of Omega Pharma–Quick-Step.”

Rather surprisingly, Cavendish also singled out stage five as a possible target to add to his already impressive Tour de France tally. Stage five includes 16 km and nine sectors of the dreaded cobblestones that normally feature prominently in the spring Classic Paris-Roubaix. That does not deter Cavendish, however, who believes that the terrain suits his OPQS outfit to a T despite the loss of Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel who will join Swiss outfit IAM Cycling as of January 2014.

“We'll be super motivated, especially the stage with the nine sectors of cobbles,” Cavendish said. “That should suit our team down to the ground. So, we've got a great first week, it involves quite a few sprints. We'll hopefully be aiming for those this year."

Equalling Merckx?

Even though he was repeatedly bested by Kittel in this year’s sprint decisions in the Tour, Cavendish was not entirely unsuccessful in his endeavours during the French Grand Tour.

On stage five Cavendish took his first win in the centenary edition of the Tour after a frustrating and defeat-riddled opening week. On stage 11 Cavendish joined a breakaway group and got the better of eventual green jersey winner Peter Sagan (Cannondale). That win took Cavendish’ total Tour de France tally to 25 stage victories and the win occupies a special place in Cavendish’ heart.

“That win was won with a lot of heart,” Cavendish said when looking back on the 2013 Tour.

Having amassed 25 Tour de France stages Cavendish has placed himself within reach of the all-time record set by Belgian legend Eddy Merckx who took 34 stage wins as he cannibalized the entire peloton.

When quizzed about the possibility of equalling or even surpassing the record established by Merckx, Cavendish replied that there are no certainties in a race like the Tour de France.

“Obviously to put your name in the same sentence as Eddy Merckx is something no rider on the planet would do. You have got to show the Tour de France the respect it deserves,” he replied. “One win in Tour de France makes a rider’s career, let alone one win in each Tour. I made it a thing of winning multiple stages every year. I would like to carry on doing that. But to set a target of a certain number of stage wins in the Tour de France is not something you do. It is the hardest bike race on the planet, the hardest sporting event on the planet. I love it, I want to go back and be successful every year. But to show it the respect it deserves, you can’t just assume to go and win every year at the Tour de France.”

Paris revenge
If Cavendish was reluctant to talk about equalling Merckx, he was less hesitant when asked about his desire to avenge his loss in this year’s dash for the finish line in Paris. Cavendish had his sight set on another win in the French capital this year but lost out, resoundingly, to Kittel. At 28, though, the Manx Man still has a few years left to add to his list of wins in Paris.

"It's a difficult route this year with the mountains, but it's been getting harder every year," Cavendish said. "But as I get older I find I'm not as nervous about reaching Paris. Obviously I won four times on the Champs-Élysées, didn't win this year, but for sure we'll go back next year and try to retain that title. We're super excited for next year and hopefully Omega Pharma–Quick-Step can be successful."

If the OPQS team is to meet Cavendish’ ambitions, though, it will need to improve on its lead-out train which came up short on several occasions in this year’s Tour.

Mark Cavendish has a powerful new weapon in his leadout train, though, after Italian Alessandro Petacchi signed for Omega Pharma-Quick Step until the end of 2014. Petacchi joined Omega Pharma-Quick Step not to add to his own impressive palmares, but to provide additional firepower to Cavendish’s lead-out train, which has faltered at times since the Manx Missile’s move from Team Sky.

With both Kittel and Cavendish entering the 2014 Tour de France with high hopes, a series of titans’ clashes between the sprinters can be expected.