Mark Cavendish has vowed to return to the Tour de France, confident he will win again and break Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins.

37-year-old Mark Cavendish, who was not selected for the Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl roster as Fabio Jacobsen secured the sprinter's spot, gave a BBC interview from the Isle of Man as he prepared for the Commonwealth Games road race. He revealed his ambitions in an interview.

"I think I can win again," Mark Cavendish told the BBC.

"That's the reality. Of course I want to get it done. But at the end of the day I'm a professional, I ride for the team and there are 30 riders on the team...

"Ultimately you have to take the emotion out of it and look at it as a kind of job."

Despite his pragmatism, Cavendish was understandably disappointed that he could not participate in this year's Tour. Last year, he entered as a substitute for Sam Bennett, winning four stages and the green points jersey. He has had great success with Quick Step over the past two years and is confident that he will be in even better shape this year.

"My only regret is that I was in a position to win there," Cavendish said.

"I was in the best shape I've been in for the last ten years. [But I was able to win the British Championship the week before.

"I'm not thinking about retiring. As long as I know I'm going to win, I'm going to continue my career. And I'm going to continue my career because I know I'm going to win, and hopefully I'll win there again."

Team manager Patrick Lefebvre has made it clear that there are no plans to keep Cavendish in 2023, but he intends to race and has reportedly attracted the attention of many teams.

Jonathan Vaughters revealed in an interview with Velonews that he has spoken with Cavendish and his agent, and the B&B Hotels team has also secured supermarket chain "Carrefour" as its 2023 title sponsor, expressed interest in Cavendish.

Cavendish did not discuss his future with the BBC, but was proud to be part of the Isle of Man team at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The road race will be held on Sunday, August 7.

Cavendish will be the Isle of Man flag bearer at the opening ceremony on July 28. He won gold in the scratch race at the 2006 Melbourne Games, but was forced to withdraw from the 2018 event due to injury.

"Certainly the biggest factor is being able to race with my friends. That's very special," Cavendish said of racing on the Isle of Man.

Thirteen cyclists, including Matthew Bostock, Mark Christian, Anna Christian, Becky Storey, and Lizzie Holden, were named to the 34-member Isle of Man team.

"From this small island, we can build a team that will not only be one of the most popular riders, but one of the strongest teams in the race. Cavendish said.