Cav hoping for strong finish

World champion cyclist Mark Cavendish aims to finish the Tour de France with a flourish in Paris on Sunday.

The 27-year-old is accustomed to being leader of a team and prolific success, but has won a solitary stage of the 2012 Tour as Team Sky prioritise Bradley Wiggins' bid to be the first British winner.

Whether Wiggins retains the yellow jersey or not, Team Sky are set to turn their focus to Cavendish for Sunday's traditional sprinters' finale on the Champs-Elysees, where the Manxman has won in each of the last three years.

Cavendish said: "I'd like to make it a fourth. It would be a great way to finish off a successful Tour de France."

Cavendish has 21 Tour stage wins to date and would move to fourth on the all-time list alongside Lance Armstrong and Andre Darrigade with another victory. Darrigade is one of the Tour's most successful sprinters.

Cavendish added: "I've actually beaten his record in sprint wins. He only won 15 sprints, but he's won 22 Tour stages. That would be great, to do that in Paris.

"I was awarded the other day with an award from L'Equipe as the best sprinter in Tour history.

"I'd have liked to have won that stage (to Cap d'Agde) and equal the number of stages of Darrigade as a symbol. But as it went, I wasn't there.

"It would be nice to get 22 in Paris and to finish that off at the Tour with the yellow jersey."