MANX MISSILE AIMS TO KEEP ON FIRING

MARK CAVENDISH is ready to face his final frontier as a Tour de France legend – but said his fire may never burn so fiercely again.

The Manx Missile (left) has stockpiled 30 stage wins on Le Tour, just four behind Belgian icon Eddy Merckx’s all-time record.

But Cavendish has not narrowed the gap on Merckx since 2016 after suffering a fractured shoulder in the first week of last year’s race, and he said of the record: “It seems so close, yet it is such a big distance away.”

And when asked if he still has the same competitive instincts and edginess as the 22-year-old who made his Tour debut in 2007, he replied: “Definitely not – I’m 33 years old and I’ve got four kids at home.” Rivals will not fall for Cavendish’s claims of being ready for the rocking chair, but if he is going to overhaul Merckx, time is running out.

He said: “It’s the only target I have left. If it doesn’t happen this year, so be it. But I’ll try to get it before the end of my career.”

Chris Froome was booed by some fans and called a ‘cheat’ at the official pre-race Tour de France presentation of the teams.

French hope Romain Bardet called on crowds to “respect” Brit Froome after the case was closed on his excess level of salbutamol in a doping sample. Bardet said: “I trust the French people and I hope they support all the riders and provide a fair atmosphere.”