British rider Mark Cavendish has confidently laid down his plan to win the Tour de France green jersey.
 
Despite 15 career stage wins in his three previous Tour appearances, victory in the points competition has so far eluded the Manx-born sprinter.
 
But ahead of this year's Tour Cavendish, who starts as one of the favourites for the green jersey, has made his intentions loud and clear.
 
"I am going for the green jersey," he said. "I'm lean, I've not had any problems, I came off the Tour of Switzerland in good form and it makes you pretty excited."
 
Cavendish could potentially be hampered by new rules in 2011, introducing a single intermediate sprint on each stage (rather than the three in previous years) and allocating points to the first 15 riders on each sprint.
 
Previously Cavendish has relied on winning stages to garner points, rather than trying to get to the head of the pack on intermediate sprints.
 
But the 26-year-old insists the new regulations will not alter his approach.
 
"Before in the intermediate sprints I didn't have to go for them because if you won the stage you minimised your losses anyway," Cavendish said.
 
"Now obviously, with points available for the first 15 riders across the line, I'll have to go for them," he added. "But it still won't take away the fact that I want to win stages - my way to win the green jersey is to win as many stages as possible."
 
Pressed on whether he ought to sacrifice those stage wins for more points in the intermediate sprints, Cavendish responded in typically up-front fashion.
 
"Tell me in the next two seconds who won the last two green jerseys," he smiled. "You had to think about it. [Winning the green jersey] is important, but my way of winning is to win stages - and that's remembered."
 
Cavendish will be up against last year's points winner Alessandro Petacchi, 2009 winner Thor Hushovd, as well as fellow sprinters Tyler Farrar and Tom Boonen in the race for the green jersey.
 
But the 'Manx Flier' says he is concentrating on his own form rather than those of his opponents, and with confidence sky-high he is ready for the Tour kick-off on 2 July.
 
"Like I always say, I don't try and think about the others," Cavendish said. "My job is to finish first, whoever's there."
 
"I'm confident," he added. "If I don't win then it's because somebody's better than me, not because I haven't prepared properly."

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