5:03PM, Jul 03, 2009
This month Britain’s Mark Cavendish will be aiming to win the iconic sprinter’s green jersey in 2009's Tour de France.
Cycling’s most prestigious race will also see the return of Lance Armstrong and the possibility of an unprecedented eighth title.
James Richardson will present British Eurosport’s live daily coverage and will be joined by guests including previous Tour de France winner Stephen Roche and former professional cyclist Magnus Backstedt, with Halfords BikeHut rider Rob Hayles also sharing his thoughts.
Labelled the fastest man on a bike, Mark Cavendish heads to France in a bid to claim the green jersey. Cavendish left the Tour in 2008 after winning a record four stages to compete in the Beijing Olympics but is determined to cross the Champs-Elysees finish line this year.
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong has focused his entire comeback around winning the Tour de France for an eighth time. His preparation has been hampered by a broken collar bone which he suffered competing in the Castilla y Leon but recovered in time to complete in the Giro d’Italia where he placed a promising 12th overall.
Many other top riders will be taking their place in the peloton including 2009 Giro d’Italia winner Denis Menchov, 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans are likely to be among the front-runners for the yellow jersey.
Riders this year will travel through Monaco, France, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy, totalling a distance of 3,500km. The 21 stages include three mountain top finishes, one of which involves climbing the demanding Mont Ventoux in the penultimate stage. This is the first time the Tour has had a mountain stage on the second to last day, as this year’s Tour continues to test riders to the max.
Find out when Tour de France is showing on TV.
