Although Cavendish has a healthy lead over Spain’s Jose Joaquin Rojas and Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert with one sprint stage remaining — Sunday on the Champs-Elysees in Paris — he says “nothing is guaranteed” given what happened in 2009.

The bitter memory of losing to Thor Hushovd two years ago means Cavendish will be constantly looking over his shoulder in the Alps later this week, where he expects rivals to try for gain bonus points to close the gap.

Cavendish says “two years ago I thought I had the green jersey,” but lost it when Hushovd “went on the attack in the mountains.”