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Mark Cavendish says he will be content to win just one stage of this year's Tour de France, as long as he reaches the finish in Paris.

The Tour gets underway in Monaco on Saturday and Cavendish, who won four stages last year, is the favourite to claim the green jersey of points winner - traditionally for the fastest sprinter in the race.

But the 24-year old from the Isle of Man, speaking in Monaco on the eve of the Grand Départ, played down his chances of becoming the first British cyclist since Robert Millar, 25 years ago, to win one of the Tour's three jerseys.

"I'd like the green jersey but I think it's more realistic to look for stage wins," said Cavendish.

"I want to win stages and get to Paris: those are my two goals.

"The green jersey is more special (than stage wins) but I've never reached Paris yet, so to start the Tour saying I'm going to try to win green is a bit optimistic."

Cavendish identified "five, six or seven stages" that could end in the kind of bunch sprint that he dominates, but he added that doesn't mean he will inevitably win all of them.

"There could be five, six or seven sprints if you take away days with breaks, or days I have bad luck. But I only want to win one sprint.

"If I don't win one I'll have failed, but this is the Tour de France. There are another 190 guys who all want to win.

"If I win one stage and reach Paris I'll be content."

He also revealed he doesn't feel extra pressure after his four stage wins last year and victory in March's Milan-San Remo classic established him as one of the sport's biggest stars.

"It's the first Tour I've started not feeling nervous," he said. "I'm just letting it come to me. I know what I've got to do here. In the last couple of years it's overwhelmed me a bit, but not this year.

"In my first year (2007) it completely overwhelmed me, then last year I knew I was capable of doing something and that overwhelmed me a bit. This year I know what I'm doing.

"I'm a year older and I've lost weight and gained strength. It's maybe just a couple of kilos difference, but I've lost fat and I can get up the hills better."

Cavendish insisted, however, that he will not go "full gas" in Saturday's time trial, ruling it too long.

"In a simpler prologue I could maybe limit my losses but with no time bonuses (in the road stages that follow) there's no point in me going full gas," he added.

"You've got to go hard, because it's a hard course, and there's a time limit, but there's no point in me going harder than that."

The British rider's first chance of a victory should come in Sunday's stage to Brignoles. "It's tough, not pan flat, and it's going to take a bit of energy," he said. "But I've got good form, a great team, and so we'll see how it goes."

Cavendish also reacted positively to the news that a French court has cleared one of his sprint rivals, Tom Boonen, to take part.

Boonen, who tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition test, had appealed against his exclusion by the Tour organisers, ASO.

"From our point of view, as a team, it should make things easier," said Cavendish. "It means his team (Quickstep) will also be trying to set up sprints for him, which could take some of the load off us. But it doesn't bother me who's here and who isn't - it doesn't change anything. I just want to be first across the line."

Watch the Tour De France LIVE from 2.30pm on Saturday on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe

More Than The Games / Eurosport