Talented 22 year old neo-pro previously rode strongly in Tour of the Mediterranean
With Paris-Nice getting underway today, Garmin-Cervélo manager Jonathan Vaughters has named three riders from his team which he feels could do well in the race. “We have got a few wildcards," he told VeloNation. "Ryder [Hesjedal] could do well. If his broken hand is good, Christophe Le Mevel could also do well. But I think my tip for a surprise is Andrew Talansky… he is in very good shape.”
Talansky had a superb 2010 season, winning the US Under 23 time trial title, netting second overall in both the Tour de l’Avenir and the Volta Ciclista Provincia Tarragona, and taking third in the Ronde de l’Isard d’Ariège. He had a trial with the Garmin-Transitions team and was later awarded a pro contract.
This year, he has already shown his promise by netting fourth on the Mont Faron stage of the Tour of the Mediterranean. He finished 18 seconds behind the stage winner Davide Moncoutie, and ended the five day race fourth overall. More recently, he was 42nd overall in the Tour du Haut Var.
Talansky finished in the main bunch on stage one of Paris-Nice. The days ahead are tougher and feature a lot more climbing, giving him the chance to advance in the general classification and test himself in the Race to the Sun.