After days of speculation, and news of riders who weren’t selected, Garmin-Cervélo has finally released the names of the nine men that will make up its Tour de France team. With any number of top riders in the squad, the team is full of potential captains, and the US team will be chasing victories on virtually every terrain.
“We needed a team that could give us options in the overall but also for stage wins and with this squad, we have that,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports. “With such a strong team, and so many riders going so well all season, this was our most difficult Tour selection yet.
“When you have 15 or 18 riders capable of riding the Tour, it becomes difficult, and its hard to leave guys like Johan [Vansummeren] home,” he continued. “But, I’m confident that we have found the right mix in this group, and I have absolute faith in these riders. It’s going to be an exciting Tour.”
For the overall classification the team has both Christian Vande Velde and Ryder Hesjedal, who between them have finished inside the top ten of the last three Tours; Vande Velde was fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2009, while Hesjedal was seventh last year. Also, given his first opportunity in the race, is Tom Danielson, who finished ninth in last year’s Vuelta a España.
In the sprints the team has both American Tyler Farrar, with lead out man Julian Dean, and World champion Thor Hushovd. Farrar has taken stages in the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, but has yet to make the breakthrough in the Tour. He left the Giro this year shortly after the death of his close friend Wouter Weylandt and will surely be extra determined in France.
Hushovd, on the other hand, has taken eight stages in the race, as well as two green points jerseys, and will be keen to show off his rainbow jersey as much as possible. The World champion does not have the same straight line speed as Farrar, but has experience in spades.
In both the overall classification, and in the sprints, the team will likely let the road decide as usual.
In support of the overall classification riders and sprinters, as well as chasing their own individual ambitions will be US time trial champion Dave Zabriskie, multiple stage winner David Millar, and Tour debutant Ramunas Navardauskas, who is the youngest rider on the Garmin-Cervélo squad.
With the combined powers of the overall classification riders and their supporters, Garmin-Cervélo will, as usual, be one of the big favourites for the team time trial on stage two.
Garmin-Cervélo team for the Tour de France:
Tom Danielson, Julian Dean, Tyler Farrar, Ryder Hesjedal, Thor Hushovd, David Millar, Ramunas Navardauskas, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie