Mark Cavendish confirmed for Tour de France after recovering from glandular fever

Mark Cavendish is chasing Eddy Merckx's Tour de France record of 34 stage wins

Mark Cavendish is one of three Britons who will be racing for Team Dimension Data at the Tour de France.

The 30-time Tour de France stage winner will be joined by compatriots Steve Cummings and Scott Thwaites.

Cavendish, 32, recently returned to racing after three months out with glandular fever.

"If I am being totally honest, had this not been the Tour de France we may have collectively taken a different approach with regards to my inclusion," he said.

"But I feel that I owe it to myself, the team, our sponsors and most importantly to the Tour itself given its history and everything that it stands for - as well as the emotional attachment I have for it - to give it my best and to put everything I have into trying to help the team."

Cavendish is second on the list of most Tour de France stage wins, four behind five-time race winner Eddy Merckx of Belgium.

The Tour de France starts on Saturday 1 July, with Team Sky's Chris Froome, of Britain, aiming for a third straight race victory, and fourth overall.