'Nervous' Mark Cavendish one of four big favourites on stage three of the Tour de France
The Deceuninck - Quick Step rider hasn't won a Tour stage since 2016.

Stage three of the 2021 Tour de France represents the first opportunity for the sprinters to win - and one of the leading favourites among the bookmakers is Mark Cavendish.
The race's peloton are racing 183km from Lorient to Pontivy with an expected bunch sprint likely to be how the day finishes.
Cavendish was a late call-up to Deceuninck - Quick Step's Tour team once Sam Bennett was declared unfit to take to the start, and the Briton is highly fancied to take his 31st Tour stage win.
Now aged 36, the former world champion has won five times season since rejoining his old team and the bookmakers believe that he is third favourite to triumph on Monday afternoon, with average odds of around 7/1 on oddschecker.com
He posted on Twitter before the race that he was "nervous today for some reason," a lighthearted tweet that shows the pressure and excitement he feels.
The day's favourite is Lotto-Soudal's Caleb Ewan who is priced at a very short 5/4 in some places, the Australian regarded as the standout sprinter in the race.
Ewan won two stages of May's Giro d'Italia and he is aiming to win a stage in all three Grand Tours tours season.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
It is third third appearance in the Tour de France after making his debut in 2019 in style, winning three stages including the final day in Paris.
Last year he took a further two victories and he will confident of adding to that, especially given his recent form.
The next most likely to win according to the bookmakers is Frenchman Arnaud Démare. The Groupama-FDJ rider hasn't raced against his top sprint rivals this season on too many occasions, but he has shown repeatedly in the past that he is capable of being the fastest men on the day.
Démare, who has raced four Tours prior to this edition and won two stages, is rated as a 9/2 chance by bookmakers.
Should one of the three aforementioned not have their hands in the air come the finale later this afternoon, then it could be because of Wout van Aert.
A winner of two sprint stages last year, the Jumbo-Visma man is being backed at around 9/1.
There are also similar odds for Tim Merlier, Alpecin-Fenix teammate of stage two winner Mathieu van der Poel.
>>> Follow our live blog of stage three as the sprinters await their first opportunity
The Belgian has been one of the season's most eye-catching sprinters and took a memorable victory in the Giro.
Peter Sagan, meanwhile, is a 14/1 shot, the Bora-hansgrohe rider winning seven green jerseys in the past but quite often finishing on the lower steps of sprint podiums.
Bookmakers odds for stage three of the 2021 Tour de France
Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto-Soudal - 5/4
Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ - 9/2
Mark Cavendish (GBr) Deceuninck - Quick Step - 7/1
Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma - 9/1
Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix - 9/1
Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo - 12/1
Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-hansgrohe - 14/1
Cees Bol (Ned) Team DSM, 14/1
Odds taken from oddschecker.com.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
-
Tweets of the week: Disaster at the Volta, Tadej Pogačar's special warm-up, and GB's cyclists go to the footie
Behold the memes from Filippo Ganna's chalked off stage win
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Polarised and polarising: the Ombraz Viale sport a quality lens, a comfortable fit but the armless design won’t be for everyone
Armless glasses aren't for everyone but I've truly loved these as a piece of crossover gear for running, biking, kayaking and casual wear.
By Samantha Nakata Published
-
'There's no bull****, that's what I've always liked' - Geraint Thomas's first BC coach Rod Ellingworth on the retiring Welshman
The 2018 Tour de France winner will step away from professional cycling at the end of the season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I never really had a Plan B' - Dan Martin on his cycling career and getting into running after retirement
The two-time Tour de France stage winner takes part in Cycling Weekly’s Q&A
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It is time to change goals' - Egan Bernal's coach confirms Ineos Grenadiers exit
'I want to thank all the cyclists I have had the opportunity to coach over the past ten years' Xabier Artetxe says in LinkedIn post
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Geraint Thomas represented 'all the best things about the golden era of British Cycling' - tributes paid to retiring rider
Former and current teammates and other figures from within pro cycling react to the Welshman’s decision to retire at the end of the current season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'You can’t keep doing it forever' - Geraint Thomas confirms retirement at end of 2025
'It would be nice to go to the Tour one more time' Welshman says
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Marlen Reusser, Sam Welsford and Marc Hirschi hit the ground running: 5 things we learned from the opening races of the season
Several high profile riders enjoyed victory at the first time of asking after off season transfers to new teams
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Rider airbags being considered as part of new safety measures from UCI
World governing body still undecided on radios, gear restrictions, regulations surrounding rim height and handlebar widths and wider rules in sprint finishes
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Changing the final Tour de France stage in Paris is an exciting prospect but I think it should be for one year only
The race's organisers were reported to be exploring the possibility of bringing the cobbled streets of Montmartre into the race’s final stage in Paris this summer
By Tom Thewlis Published