Mark Cavendish to be a dad… baby conceived during Tour de France says girlfriend, Peta Todd…

The green jersey may not be the only permanent souvenir Mark Cavendish will have of this year’s Tour de France – it has been revealed that he and girlfriend Peta Todd are expecting their first child, and she believes it was conceived during July’s three-week race.

Glamour model Peta, who has been voted the fourth most popular Page Three girl of all time by readers of The Sun, told the newspaper: “I'm four months gone, which means it was conceived in July, during the Tour de France. It's a Tour baby."

Perhaps that’s wishful thinking – four months ago would after all take us back to June – but it does open up a wealth of naming opportunities should the couple follow the penchant among many celebrities for naming their offspring after places.

Just remember that if the nipper ends up being named Cap Fréhel, Chateauroux, Lavaur, Montpellier or Champs-Élysées – the locations of Cavendish’s five stage wins this year – you heard it here first.

The couple met 12 months ago at a function in Los Angeles and Peta is now house-hunting in her native county of Essex with the new world champion and soon-to-be Team Sky rider.

Peta, who already has a five-year-old son, Finnbarr, from an earlier relationship, said: "We haven't found out the sex yet but we will. I think it's a boy because I've already had a boy, but Mark thinks it's a girl.

"Athletes often conceive girls during the racing season as their testosterone levels are low," she continued.

With her pregnancy leading her to decide to bring her Page 3 career to an end, Peta will now focus on building her writing career.

"I'm going to be doing more writing for the paper and a couple of columns a week for The Sun's website," she explained.

"It's emotional to be leaving Page 3,” she added. “It's been my life since I was 18 and I'm so grateful for the chances it gave me.

"I think Page 3 is an institution which should be celebrated. I hope I helped change people's preconceptions about Page 3 girls by appearing on Newsnight and at the Oxford Union debate.

"But I also feel ready to move on and focus on new things," she concluded.