Race organiser ASO has announced the list of sixteen teams that have been invited to this year’s Critérium International. The eightieth edition of the two-day, three stage, race will take place on the Mediterranean island of Corsica for the second time on the weekend of March 26th and 27th.
The list of teams includes nine ProTeams, six Professional Continental teams and one Continental. Just like the Tour de France and Paris-Nice, also organised by ASO, the big French teams make up the majority of the non-ProTeam invitations; Dutch team Skil-Shimano, having missed out on so many invitations for major races this, and last, year, will doubtless be encouraged by its inclusion here.
As well as the single French ProTeam (AG2R La Mondiale) and five ProContinental teams, an invitation has been extended to French Contiental team BigMat-Auber 93.
2010 winner Pierrick Fédrigo will defend his title at the head of his new team FDJ, after leaving the Bbox Bouygues Telecom team (now Europcar) at the end of last season as he lost patience in the search for a new sponsor. Five-time winner Jens Voigt will also be part of a new team this year, having departed Saxo Bank for new team Leopard Trek.
Although the German veteran reportedly has his sights set on a record sixth title – which would set him above other five-time winners Raymond Poulidor and Emile Idée – he may find himself subservient to the ambitions of the Schleck brothers.
The race will take its usual form of a mountainous stage on day one, followed by a flat stage and a short time trial on day two. It will once again be based around the coastal town of Porto-Vecchio on the south of the island; the race’s move to the island last year has fuelled speculation that the Tour de France is about to hold a stage on the island for the very first time.
Teams invited to 2011 Critérium International (with main contenders):
AG2R La Mondiale (Jean-Christophe Péraud, Mathieu Perget)
Euskaltel-Euskadi (Samuel Sánchez, Romain Sicard)
Leopard Trek (Fränk and Andy Schleck, Jens Voigt)
Movistar Team (José Joaquin Rojas)
Pro Team Astana (Alexandre Vinokourov, Remy Di Grégorio)
Sky Procycling (Simon Gerrans, Michael Rogers, Bradley Wiggins)
Team Garmin-Cervélo (Ryder Hesjedal, Christophe Le Mével, Dan Martin)
Team RadioShack (Andreas Klöden, Tiago Machado)
Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team (Johnny Hoogerland)
Bretagne-Schuller (Johan Le Bon, Renaud Dion)
Cofidis, le Crédit en Ligne (David Moncoutié, Rein Taaramäe)
FDJ (Pierrick Fédrigo, Jérémy Roy)
Saur-Sojasun (Jérôme Coppel, Laurent Mangel)
Team Europcar (Pierre Rolland, Thomas Voeckler)
Skil-Shimano (Mathieu Sprick)
BigMat-Auber 93 (Maxime Méderel)