Isle of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish starts the Tour of Spain today (Saturday).
The Vuelta is the third and final grand tour of the summer, the others being the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France.
There are 21 stages and the first, the team time trial, takes place in Benidorm.
Cavendish is named in an HTC Highroad squad which doesn't include his two lead-out men, Mark Renshaw and Bernie Eisel.
The 'Manx Missile' won three stages and the Sprinters' Jersey in his debut at the event last year.
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