Tour de France start list
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-start-list-2)AG2R La Mondiale: Maxime Bouet (Fra), Jimmy Casper (Fra), Mickaël Cherel (Fra), Hubert Dupont (Fra), Martin Elmiger (Swi), Sébastien Hinault (Fra), Blel Kadri (Fra), Sébastien Minard (Fra), Lloyd Mondory (Fra), Jean Christophe Peraud (Fra), Christophe Riblon (Fra), Nicholas Roche (Irl)
Pro Team Astana*: Borut Bozic (Slo), Janez Brajkovic (Slo), Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz), Andriy Grivko (Ukr), Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz), Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz), Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe), Robert Kiserlovski (Cro), Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz)
BMC Racing Team*: Marcus Burghardt (Ger), Steven Cummings (GBr), Cadel Evans (Aus), Philippe Gilbert (Bel), George Hincapie (USA), Amaël Moinard (Fra), Manuel Quinziato (Ita), Michael Schär (Swi), Tejay Van Garderen (USA)
Euskaltel-Euskadi*: Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa), Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa), Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa), Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa), Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa), Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa), Amets Txurruka Ansola (Spa), Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa), Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa)
FDJ-BigMat: Sandy Casar (Fra), Mickael Delage (Fra), Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra), Anthony Geslin (Fra), Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr), Arnold Jeannesson (Fra), Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra), Rémi Pauriol (Fra), Cedric Pineau (Fra), Thibaut Pinot (Fra), Anthony Roux (Fra), Jérémy Roy (Fra)
Garmin-Barracuda*: Tom Danielson (USA), Tyler Farrar (USA), Ryder Hesjedal (Can), Robert Hunter (RSA), Daniel Martin (Irl), David Millar (GBr), Johan Van Summeren (Bel), Christian Vandevelde (USA), David Zabriskie (USA)
Katusha Team*: Giampaolo Caruso (Ita), Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa), Vladimir Gusev (Rus), Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr), Denis Menchov (Rus), Luca Paolini (Ita), Yury Trofimov (Rus), Eduard Vorganov (Rus)
Lampre - ISD: Grega Bole (Slo), Danilo Hondo (Ger), Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr), Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr), Matthew Lloyd (Aus), Marco Marzano (Ita), Manuele Mori (Ita), Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol), Alessandro Petacchi (Ita), Morris Possoni (Ita), Michele Scarponi (Ita), Davide Vigano (Ita)
Liquigas-Cannondale: Ivan Basso (Ita), Federico Canuti (Ita), Tiziano Dall'Antonia (Ita), Kristjan Koren (Slo), Alan Marangoni (Ita), Dominique Nerz (Ger), Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Daniel Oss (Ita), Maciej Paterski (Pol), Peter Sagan (Svk), Sylvester Szmyd (Pol), Alessandro Vanotti (Ita)
Lotto Belisol Team*: Lars Ytting Bak (Den), Francis De Greef (Bel), André Greipel (Ger), Adam Hansen (Aus), Gregory Henderson (NZl), Jurgen Roelandts (Bel), Marcel Sieberg (Ger), Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel), Jelle Vanendert (Bel)
Movistar Team: David Arroyo Duran (Spa), Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa), Imanol Erviti (Spa), Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por), José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa), Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Vasil Kiryienka (Blr), Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu), David Lopez Garcia (Spa), Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa), Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa), Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa)
Omega Pharma - QuickStep*: Sylvain Chavanel (Fra), Kevin De Weert (Bel), Dries Devenyns (Bel), Bert Grabsch (Ger), Levi Leipheimer (USA), Tony Martin (Ger), Jérôme Pineau (Fra), Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel), Peter Velits (Svk)
Orica-GreenEdge Cycling Team: Michael Albasini (Swi), Baden Cooke (Aus), Allan Davis (Aus), Simon Gerrans (Aus), Matthew Harley Goss (Aus), Daryl Impey (RSA), Brett Lancaster (Aus), Sebastian Langeveld (Ned), Cameron Meyer (Aus), Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu), Pieter Weening (Ned)
Rabobank Cycling Team*: Robert Gesink (Ned), Steven Kruijswijk (Ned), Bauke Mollema (Ned), Mark Renshaw (Aus), Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa), Bram Tankink (Ned), Laurens Ten Dam (Ned), Maarten Tjallingii (Ned), Maarten Wynants (Bel)
RadioShack-Nissan*: Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Tony Gallopin (Fra), Christopher Horner (USA), Andreas Klöden (Ger), Maxime Monfort (Bel), Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Frank Schleck (Lux), Jens Voigt (Ger), Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa)
Team Saxo Bank: Jonathan Cantwell (Aus), Juan José Haedo (Arg), Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg), Karsten Kroon (Ned), Anders Lund (Den), Rafael Majka (Pol), Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn), Nick Nuyens (Bel), Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por), Chris Anker Sørensen (Den), Nicki Sørensen (Den)
Sky Procycling*: Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor), Mark Cavendish (GBr), Bernhard Eisel (Aut), Christopher Froome (GBr), Christian Knees (Ger), Richie Porte (Aus), Michael Rogers (Aus), Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr), Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team*: Kris Boeckmans (Bel), Johnny Hoogerland (Ned), Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe), Marco Marcato (Ita), Wouter Poels (Ned), Rob Ruygh (Ned), Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa), Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned), Lieuwe Westra (Ned)
Argos-Shimano*: Roy Curvers (Ned), Koen De Kort (Ned), Johannes Frohlinger (Ger), Patrick Gretsch (Ger), Yann Huguet (Fra), Marcel Kittel (Ger), Matthieu Sprick (Fra), Albert Timmer (Ned), Tom Veelers (Ned)
Team Europcar*: Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra), Anthony Charteau (Fra), Sébastien Chavanel (Fra), Damien Gaudin (Fra), Cyril Gautier (Fra), Vincent Jerome (Fra), Christophe Kern (Fra), Pierre Rolland (Fra), Thomas Voeckler (Fra)
Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne: Yohan Bagot (Fra), Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra), Samuel Dumoulin (Fra), Leonardo Duque (Col), Nicolas Edet (Fra), Julien Fouchard (Fra), Jan Ghyselinck (Bel), Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa), David Moncoutie (Fra), Rein Taaramae (Est), Tristan Valentin (Fra), Romain Zingle (Bel)
Saur - Sojasun: Jerome Coppel (Fra), Anthony Delaplace (Fra), Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra), Brice Feillu (Fra), Jonathan Hivert (Fra), Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra), Cyril Lemoine (Fra), Guillaume Levarlet (Fra), Jean-Marc Marino (Fra), Maxime Mederel (Fra), Stéphane Poulhies (Fra), Julien Simon (Fra)
Now that the riders who are lucky to be going to the biggest race of the year know who will be there, they begin to chime in on who is the race favorites...
Valverde: Anything can happen in Tour de France
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-anything-can-happen-in-tour-de-france)Alejandro Valverde has come out of the Tour de Suisse with confidence for the Tour de France. “We will go for the overall title” in France, the Movistar rider said. He said that while he was impressed with Fränk Schleck in Switzerland, Bradley Wiggins remains the favourite to win, and he does not discount defending champion Cadel Evans.
For the Spaniard to win the Tour “will be difficult, especially because the course is not the best for my talents, but you have to go with high aspirations,” he told marca.com. “Because anything can happen.”
Because of the many time trial kilometers in the Tour, “I see Wiggins and Evans. This year the Englishman won't fail, but the Tour is unlike any other race and Evans has extensive experience.”
Valverde was astonished by Schleck's performance in the Tour de Suisse. “To follow him was impossible. He rode very easily, the strongest by far, but I think he is too good too soon.”
The Spaniard is skipping this weekend's national championships, in which he was to ride both the road race and the time trial. The Tour de Suisse “was very hard and now it is essential to recover well before the Tour. The trouble is not the championships but the travelling.”
...and teams begin telling us why they chose certain riders...
Garmin-Barracuda favors experience in Tour de France selections
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/garmin-barracuda-favors-experience-in-tour-de-france-selections)Garmin-Barracuda named its nine men for the Tour de France today, with Giro d'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal tipped as the team's general classification contender and Tom Danielson and Christian Vande Velde as climbing support.
Choosing a squad with an average age of 32 and not a single rider qualified for the best young rider classification, the team has favored experience over youthful talent in this year's line-up.
Dan Martin is the only first time Tour participant in the team, which also features time trial specialists David Millar and Dave Zabriskie, sprinter Tyler Farrar and lead-out man Robbie Hunter along with 2010 Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Vansummeren.
"We have put together a well-balanced team with an emphasis on support for our leader, Ryder. We have Christian and Tom, both excellent climbers who each have had great GC rides in the Tour and have shown their strength in recent racing. Dan Martin, making his Tour debut, rounds out the climbers of the team," said main director Allan Peiper.
"The climbers will have the support of TT specialists David Millar and David Zabriskie along with Johan Vansummeren, who will also be able to help out sprinters Farrar and Hunter in the quest for stage wins."
Notably absent from the Tour roster is Australian Heinrich Haussler, who has struggled this year and was fighting to earn results toward the Tour and the Olympic Games. He had to drop out of the Tour de Suisse due to severe saddle sores.
Also missing are the team's young American Andrew Talansky, who came second in the Tour de Romandie, and Alex Rasmussen, whose CAS decision on his whereabouts violations is due on July 6, during the first week of the Tour.
Wiggins and Cavendish lead Sky at the Tour de France
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-and-cavendish-lead-sky-at-the-tour-de-france)Bradley Wiggins leads a Team Sky selection based primarily around his yellow jersey challenge at this year’s Tour de France. While world champion Mark Cavendish also features, Sky’s nine-man line-up features no fewer than six of the riders who flanked Wiggins during his victorious ride at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné.
Edvald Boasson Hagen, Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Michael Rogers, Christian Knees and Kanstantin Siutsou were all part of Sky’s dominant showing in the Alps and will be charged with repeating the feat in July.
The only member of the Dauphiné squad to miss out is Danny Pate, as the other two slots in Sky’s Tour line-up are filled by Cavendish and Bernhard Eisel.
While the team selection is a clear indication of where Sky’s priorities lie in July, Team Principal Dave Brailsford is confident that the squad can also support Cavendish in the sprints.
“Our priority this year is the general classification with Bradley but that doesn’t mean we’ll neglect the sprint stages, or Mark’s bid for green jersey,” he said on the team website. “Chris, Mick, and Richie are among our strongest climbers and will all be there to support Bradley in the mountains, but then we’ve got riders like Christian and Kosta who have strong engines on the flats, and versatile riders like Edvald and Bernhard who can support Mark in the sprints.”
After victories at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné already in 2012, Wiggins lines up as favourite for overall victory at the Tour and he approaches the race with greater confidence than in the past.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and I’ll do everything I can to win the Tour de France,” he said. “Hopefully we can do the business for ourselves and our fans, and become the most successful British-based cycling team ever.”
For his part, Cavendish acknowledged that Wiggins’ presence meant that he would not enjoy the same level of outright support as he had done at Highroad. Nonetheless, the Manxman has shown that he is well capable of winning without a full lead-out train when the occasion has arisen this season.
“It's a dream to ride for a team that holds so much British interest and has a chance to win the yellow jersey,” he said. “I know the push for the GC podium will make it more difficult for me to repeat the success I've enjoyed the last few years. But I'll compete and - as always - I'll dedicate myself to making it a successful Tour for Team Sky and, let's hope, for Britain.”
Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen has been Sky’s stand-out performer at the Tour in the team’s history to date, winning two stages in 2011, although he stressed that his primary role this time around will be to support Wiggins.
“If I get the opportunity to go for stage victories myself, I’ll definitely try to take them, but I have a role in the team to fulfil and anything other than that will be a bonus,” he said.
And of course, I couldn't forget to mention my favorite team today...Radioshack Nissan Trek. This first article was kind of mentioned two days ago, but in case you didn't get the memo, here is another one:
Fuglsang looking to leave RadioShack-Nissan over Tour de France snub
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-looking-to-leave-radioshack-nissan-over-tour-de-france-snub)Jakob Fuglsang may be on the verge of leaving RadioShack-Nissan when his contract expires this year. The Dane is not happy with the team's decision not to nominate him for the Tour de France.
“I am disappointed not to be taken and it doesn't give the team any plus points on my account,” he told the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, according to the Ritzau news agency.
“It doesn't make RadioShack my first choice for next season,” he said, as “being on the Tour team and riding as captain [...] is still my goal.”
He does not know where he might go. “I have to consider and find out where I can get the position of captain, which I must have to achieve the results that I dream about. It is difficult, because all teams have one or maybe two captains, but there are teams where it could be easier.”
Fuglsang was to have been the team's captain at the Giro d'Italia this year but had to withdraw at the last minute due to a knee injury.
But despite all of the bad news going on at RSNT these days, there is always a silver lining in the clouds.
Cancellara happy with progress after Swiss TT win
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-happy-with-progress-after-swiss-tt-win)Fabian Cancellara tuned up for the Tour de France and the London 2012 Olympics by taking his first victory since March in the Swiss time trial championship in Messen on Wednesday.
The RadioShack-Nissan rider has been feeling his way back into competitive action in recent weeks after he fractured his collarbone in a crash during the Tour of Flanders on April 1. After a surprise defeat at the hands of Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) in the Tour de Suisse time trial last week, Cancellara was glad to get back into the winning habit.
Cancellara’s victory was his seventh Swiss time trial title and it was his first participation in the event since 2008. In the intervening period he has twice been crowned Swiss road race champion.
“I'm very proud to have won another Swiss title in the time trial,” Cancellara said. “It's an honour to wear the colours of your country, even for the seventh time. The competition was very motivated, because all of us want that title.”
Cancellara clocked an average speed close to 50kph as he saw off the challenge of Thomas Frei (Christina Watches) by 1:54, while Martin Elminger (Ag2r-La Mondiale) was a further 6 seconds back in third.
Cancellara has long stated that his primary objective for the summer is the London Olympics. Gold medallist in the time trial in Beijing four years ago (as well as silver medallist in the road race), Cancellara will do battle with the likes of Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky) for the top step of the podium outside Hampton Court Palace on August 1.
“I'm happy with where I stand at this point,” Cancellara said. “I was relaxed and very focused. In a race like this you don't have the big infrastructure around you, there are no official split times and there are not so many competitors [there were six starters – ed.], but it's still very good to go home with a good feeling in the pocket. The race was only 20 kilometres from my home, so that made it extra special."
Directeur sportif Luca Guercilena was satisfied that his man remains on course for London. “Fabian's time trial project is a work in progress. Even though he still feels the last two heavy mountain stages of the Tour de Suisse in his legs, he can be proud of his performance today,” he said. “This is not yet the Olympic time trial, of course, but it was a good test for him. Every victory is a victory. He put two minutes into the second man, so that's very good.”
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