Mark Cavendish is expected to take to the startline in France this weekend for the prestigious Paris-Nice race.

The eight-stage tour - nicknamed The Race to the Sun - is one of the most iconic events on the cycling calendar and begins on Sunday with a mostly flat 138.5-kilometre stage around Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the Parisian suburbs.

Two more flat stages follow on Monday and Tuesday to Bellegarde and Moulines/Yzeure before a hill race from Vichy to Pelussin on Wednesday and an individual time trial the following day.

A tough stage from Peynier to Brignoles follows on Friday prior to a gruelling queen stage in the mountains from Nice to the famous Col de Turini which has featured in the Monte Carlo Rally and the Tour de France. The race culminates with a leg-sapping 110km stage around the Côte d’Azur region before finishing in Nice.