The Sky Procycling Team has announced its nine-man roster for the upcoming Tour de France, which starts on July 2nd on the Passage du Gois on the country’s Vendée Coast. Once again the team will be built around the overall ambitions of multiple Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins, who finished fourth in the 2009 edition, but includes a blend of youth and experience to allow for other options.
“This is a strong and balanced team with a real depth of talent to cater for all the challenges, from the team time trial to its high mountain finishes,” said Team Sky Principal Dave Brailsford. “The squad have raced and trained together consistently well and are full of confidence after excellent results at Bayern Rundfhart and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
“There is a great blend of experience and youth in our squad. As well as riders like Bradley, [Juan Antonio] Flecha, Simon [Gerrans], Christian [Knees] and Xabier [Zandio] who have ridden the Grand Tours on numerous occasions, the line up also includes some of the peloton’s brightest young talents in Edvald [Boasson Hagen], Geraint [Thomas], Rigoberto [Urán] and Ben [Swift]. We have a really exciting team that can’t wait for 2 July.”
While Thomas and Wiggins have enjoyed overall victories in the Bayern-Rundfahrt and Critérium du Dauphiné in recent weeks, Tour debutant Ben Swift has been taking stage victories throughout the season, including in the recent Tours of Romandie and Califiornia.
“I am delighted that Ben Swift will be making his Tour debut,” said Brailsford, “he is enjoying a breakthrough season with five wins already and he will absolutely thrive on this opportunity to test himself on the biggest stage of all.”
2011 will be Wiggins’ second Tour for Team Sky, following his breakthrough performance in the 2009 race, and he approaches the race in good form, following his Dauphiné victory.
“The team is in great shape, full of confidence and riding well,” he said. “We all want to put on a good show for our fans, as their support for the team throughout this season has been incredible. It’s going to be a great three weeks of racing.”
After being forced out of last year’s Vuelta a España with the illness that affected most of the team, Ben Swift gets another chance to ride a Grand Tour on the biggest stage of all.
”Competing in the Tour de France is what every young rider dreams of and I’m really excited about the challenge ahead,” he said. “The team is riding well and we can’t wait to get going against the world’s best riders.”
Just as it did last year, Team Sky’s kit will be switching from blue to green in support of the Sky Rainforest Rescue campaign. The three-year partnership between Sky and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) aims to help save a billion trees in the state of Acre, in northwest Brazil.
“As a team we saw the opportunity to change our bikes and kit to green as the perfect way to raise awareness of Sky Rainforest Rescue amongst the Tour de France’s millions of worldwide fans,” said Brailsford. “The vital work that Sky, WWF and the Acre state government are doing to help save a billion trees is of universal importance and we are proud to be able to help support that effort.”
Team Sky for the Tour de France:
Edvald Boasson Hagen, Juan Antonio Flecha, Simon Gerrans, Christian Knees, Ben Swift, Geraint Thomas, Rigoberto Urán, Bradley Wiggins and Xabier Zandio