Tour de France 2011
Britain's Mark Cavendish is among the favourites to win the third stage of this year's Tour.

Stage 3: Olonne-sur-Mer - Redon (198km)

Britain's Mark Cavendish is expected to shine in Monday's 198-km third stage of the Tour de France, the first real chance for pure sprinters to claim a stage win.

The final kilometres into Redon, although not entirely flat, is tailor-made for sprint-specialists like Cavendish and America's Tyler Farrar.

"Of course it's an objective and Mark has targeted this stage," the Briton's HTC Highroad team director Allan Peiper told Reuters.

"After all he has won 15 stages on the flat in the past three years. But Mark also won hard stages in the last couple of years and I can see him play a leading role in Cap Frehel and Lisieux as well."

Stage Three of this year's Tour follows the French west coast as it winds its way over 198km from Olonne sure Mer to Redon, entering Brittany for the first time.

Hopes are high for the Tour's British contingent following Sunday's second stage as Scotland's David Millar and Wales' Geraint Thomas are both in the top four.

The full schedule for the 2011 Tour de France is available here