Mark Cavendish looks set to miss out on this year’s Tour de France.

The Manx Missile had been hoping to be included in Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s squad for the Grand Tour which gets underway in Denmark on Friday.

But, despite being crowned British National Road Race Champion for a second time on Sunday, Cav has missed the cut.

He is, however, listed as a first reserve so there is still a faint possibility that he may be called up at the last minute should any of the selected riders suffer injury or illness.

Cavendish was an 11th hour addition to the QuickStep team for last year’s Le Tour when Sam Bennett failed to recover from injury in time, and the Manxman enjoyed a fairytale comeback in cycling’s biggest race by winning four stages and the prestigious green points jersey.

In doing so, Cav equalled the legendary Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France to cement his place as arguably the greatest sprinter in the history of professional cycling.

Reacting to the news that he looks set to miss out on this year’s event, Cav said: ‘Well, just seen the @quickstep_alphavinylteam selection for @letourdefrance on my socials.

‘I’m sad not to defend my green jersey or write even more history in the world’s most incredible bike race.

‘But, as always, I’ll be cheering my team-mates every single day. Stay safe and good luck boys.’