Cavendish was unlucky with crashes in the Tour

The Manxman, 22, had planned to quit after two mountain stages but got off his bike after being dropped by the peloton 35km after stage eight began.

The T-Mobile rider had been selected to contest the sprint finishes but bad luck limited him to two top-10 places.

He told BBC Sport on Thursday: "There's no point in coming here for experience and not doing some Alpine stages."

Cavendish was unlucky to be involved in two crashes in the first week and his best finish was ninth place in Compiegne on Tuesday.

"It's the greatest sporting event on the planet. It's gruelling; everything's faster - the flat, the climbs, the descents, the sprints," he added.

T-Mobile secured their first individual victory on Saturday, with Linus Gerdemann of Germany winning the seventh stage to take the yellow jersey.