MARK Cavendish is relishing returning to competitive racing in Yorkshire.

The 32-year-old Manx rider is set to participate in the Tour de Yorkshire for the first time since its inception in 2015, when the annual event gets under way in Beverley on Thursday.

  • The Northern Echo will be covering the Tour de Yorkshire across the weekend and there will be a souvenir supplement following its conclusion

Cavendish crashed out at the end of the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France in Harrogate, dislocating his shoulder, and also missed the recent Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast due to an injury sustained during the Milan-San Remo in March.

He told the Team Dimension Data website: "My mother's from Yorkshire so it's a big part of my heritage.

"I've missed the Tour de Yorkshire since it started but finally I'm so excited to go and race.

"It's the people in Yorkshire - the friendliest people that you'll ever meet - and they absolutely love bike-riding."

He continued: "When the Tour de France started there (in Yorkshire) in 2014 it was like a dream, I never thought it would happen.

"Obviously it didn't go how I wanted! It's going to be incredible to be back.

"My friends that have raced Yorkshire tell me that it's no different to how the Tour de France was in terms of the amount of people that line the street.

"I know Sir Gary Verity, the organiser, and Welcome to Yorkshire very well and I know that they put on a tremendous job, so I'm looking forward to doing it."

Thursday's first stage runs from Beverley to Doncaster ahead of a further three stages over the weekend, finishing in Leeds on Sunday.