On Air Manx Radio Breakfast Ben Hartley & Sian Cowper | 7:30am - 9:30am

Tour de France opener has sprint prospects for Cav

Mark Cavendish tweeted his number last night, thanking fans for their good luck messages

Manxman yet to wear yellow jersey at Le Tour

The 2016 Tour de France starts today, with the prospect of a sprint finish for Mark Cavendish at the end of the first stage and the chance for him to wear the yellow jersey for the first time.

He's the only Manx rider at Le Tour this year - an injured Peter Kennaugh was ruled out of the possibility of being selected for Team Sky.

It's Cav's first year at the race riding for Team Dimension Data, who have claimed stage wins in the past, most notably for the African team on Mandela day last year.

On today's opening stage - a 188km route from Mont-Saint-Michel to Utah Beach Sainte-Marie-du-Mont - there are a couple of category four climbs early on, but the latter part of it looks ideal for setting up a sprint finish.

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