Cavendish has busy season of cycling ahead with Tour de France and Olympic Games around the corner [GALLO/GETTY]

World champion Mark Cavendish says he will be hungry to embellish his impressive victory tally when he lines up with Team Sky at the Giro d'Italia which begins next week.

Cavendish, a 20-time stage winner at the Tour de France, has won seven stages at the three-week Italian stage race as well as three at the Tour of Spain.

But despite targeting more success, the Isle of Man sprinter hopes teammates Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and Peter Kennaugh - all of whom competed at the track world championships earlier this month in Melbourne - share in
the glory.

"The Giro is one of my favourite races of the season and I'm very happy to be riding it," Cavendish told Team Sky's website.

"We've got a good squad to go and win stages. Geraint, Pete and Swifty have just come off the track so they should have that explosive power which will be important in the first week, and the rest of the team have all done well in the Classics."

'Raring to go'

The Giro, which this year begins in Denmark, opens with a team time trial on May 5.

"We want to win the team time trial as well and hopefully that will get us the pink jersey. If we could achieve that it would be a massive honour for the team," said Cavendish.

"It should be a really good three weeks because we're all friends and have a good understanding on the road. The Tour de Romandie has allowed me to get some miles in the legs so come the start in Denmark I'll be raring to go."

Thomas, who won the Tour of Romandie prologue earlier this week, said: "I'm really looking forward to the Giro, especially as I haven't ridden a great deal on the road this season.

"I took part in the race once before in 2008 and found it to be a lot less stressful than the Tour de France. The atmosphere is fantastic and Italy is a special country to ride in."

Sky's sports director Steven de Jongh is hoping that once the race moves into the mountains Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao come into their own.

He said: "Once the race hits the mountains Rigoberto and Sergio will become our focus and if Rigo can continue the good form he showed over the spring then he is more than capable of achieving a high placing in the General Classification."