Different discipline goals for Garmin duo - UPDATED
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Tom Danielson (Garmin - Slipstream).(Image credit: JF Quenet)
Canadian time trial champion Svein Tuft (Garmin-Slipstream) in action during the prologue.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
Tyler Farrar (Garmin - Slipstream)(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
David Millar (Garmin-Slipstream)(Image credit: Sirotti)
Garmin-Slipstream is ready to cover a range of options with its team for the Vuelta a España. Tyler Farrar will head the team's push for sprint wins, while Tom Danielson will carry its general classification hopes.
USA's Farrar accounted for seven of Garmin's 13 race wins this season. He will head into the race as a favourite for the flat stages that open the three-week race thanks to four wins achieved in the past fortnight at the Vattenfall Cyclassics and Eneco Tour.
USA's Danielson has also displayed good condition recently. He claimed his first race win of the year in the Vuelta a Burgos' time trial, on his way to third place overall.
Danielson will be able to call upon the support of Ireland's Dan Martin on the Vuelta's tough mountain stages. Martin has recovered from the knee injury that saw him ruled out of the Tour de France. He finished fifth in the ProTour GP Ouest-France last weekend.
"I'm just looking forward to getting a Grand Tour under my belt and enjoying the experience," Martin told Cyclingnews on Thursday. "We've got a super strong team here and my own form's really good at the moment; I saw that at Plouay [at the GP Quest-France]. I'm going into it kind of thinking of the general [classification] but Tom Danielson's here and he's looking really fit."
Scot David Millar will also offer Danielson support. He will put a rather unique mark on his palmarès as he starts in his third Grand Tour of the year.
New Zealander Julian Dean and Dutchman Martijn Maaskant will both start in their second successive three-week race. Their role as lead-out men for Farrar will be critical with sprinters André Greipel (Columbia-HTC), Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Gerald Ciolek (Milram) present at the race.
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"I'm sure Tyler's going to do the business in the first few stages here," said Dan Martin. "The objective of every team in the race is to win a stage and if Tyler can do that early on then it's almost like our objective will be complete and we can have fun for the rest of the race."
Garmin completes its team with three Canadians. Ryder Hesjedal will be joined by compatriots Christian Meier and national time trial champion, Svein Tuft. There will be four Canadians in this year's Vuelta a España with Dominique Rollin also selected for Cervélo TestTeam.
Garmin-Slipstream for the Vuelta a España: Tyler Farrar, Tom Danielson, Dan Martin, Ryder Hesjedal, Christian Meier, Svein Tuft, David Millar, Julian Dean and Martijn Maaskant.
