The names of the eight riders who will bid to help Mark Cavendish add to his haul of 25 Tour de France stage victories have been confirmed.

The 30-year-old, who has a property in Ongar, will lead Etixx-Quick Step’s quest for sprint success in the three-week Grand Tour, which starts in Utrecht on Saturday, July 4.

Cavendish will be supported by his long-serving lead-out man Mark Renshaw, world road race champion Michal Kwiatkowski and powerhouse time trial specialist Tony Martin.

Also included in the Etixx squad are Rigoberto Uran, who finished 14th in this year’s Giro d’Italia, two-time Tour stage winner Matteo Trentin, Michal Golas and race debutants Zdenek Stybar and Julien Vermote.

This will be Cavendish’s ninth Tour de France and he goes into the race off the back of 12 race victories – 13 including his overall success at the Dubai Tour – so far this year, having crashed out of the opening stage of last year’s race into Harrogate