Mark Cavendish will make his debut for Bahrain McLaren in the Middle East today, Tuesday.

The Manx Missile left Team Dimension Data in the off-season at the end of 2019 to join up with the UCI WorldTeam cycling outfit on a two-year deal.

Now the 30-time Tour de France stage winner is set to make his first appearance in Bahrain McLaren colours when he tackles the Tour of Saudi Arabia.

The race gets underway today (Tuesday) and continues over five stages until this Saturday.

The opening stage sees riders tackle a 173-kilometre route from the capital Riyadh to Jaww, before the following stages take in the likes of Al Bujairi and the Wadi Namar Park before ending back in Riyadh.

With the route being predominantly flat throughout the week, the terrain should give Cav the opportunity to try his luck in sprint finishes as he looks to get off to a flying start with his new team.

After the Saudi Arabian tour, the Manxman is expected to compete in the United Arab Emirates Tour which takes place between February 23-29.

Cav should then return to Europe - more specifically Italy - where he will hopefully ride in the Tirreno-Adriatico race and then the Milan-San Remo Spring Classic.