Mark Cavendish was one of the many stars of the Tour de France route presentation in Paris on Thursday morning and is looking forward to the opening three stages in Britain next year.

Despite its lumpy start, the 185km first stage between the Scottish capital Edinburgh and the English city of Carlisle may well be one which suits the punchy sprinters, as it flattens out before crossing the border with around 40km to go. And should a sprinter win, they will wear yellow for at least one day.