Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Mark Cavendish attended the 2014 Tour de France presentation in Paris on Wednesday, where a unique parcours was revealed. Next year's route includes a Grand Depart in Yorkshire, as well as the exclusion of a prologue and only a single individual time trial.
There is also a stage resembling a classic due to the cobbles: 156km Stage 5 from Ypres to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut. Of course, the closing stage remains the same, finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
"For the second time in my career the Tour de France is visiting the UK," Cavendish said after the presentation. "To think I would do it twice in eight years, it's something I wouldn't have thought about growing up. I'm super excited — especially since the first stage finishes in my mother's hometown of Harrogate. I have a lot of family who still lives there and I spent many times a year there as a child. So, 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. "
There will also be other opportunities for Cavendish.
"The third stage should be a sprint too," Cavendish said. "It's a couple kilometers 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. We'll be super motivated, especially the stage with the nine sectors of cobbles. 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 be hopefully going for those this year."
For sure, the 2014 Tour de France will be a challenge.
"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."