Mark Cavendish and his HTC-Columbia team are heading to Switzerland for the Tour de Suisse, which offers their final chance to fine-tune things before their assault on the Tour de France.

The Manx Missile is behind on his win tally this year due to the dental problems that forced him to miss the beginning of the season.

He's been playing catch-up ever since.

The team continues to stand by Cav, despite only going one for two in the recent Tour of California, and team manager Rolf Aldag warns the sprint star is on track for some big results.

"Mark is getting better and better, I saw that for myself when I went training with him and the rest of the team in the Alps recently.

"I'm confident he'll do well in Suisse, and I'm confident he'll do well in the Tour (de France)."