The 2005 and 2006 top-ranked ProTour team CSC has been confirmed for the new Tour of Ireland, which will begin in Kilkenny in just over two months time.
The Danish team joins previously announced squads from Unibet.com, T-Mobile, Panaria, Navigators Insurance plus the SouthAustralia.com lineup for the 2.1 ranked race, which makes its debut some fifteen years after the last edition of the Nissan Classic Tour of Ireland was held.
CSC has some of the biggest names in the sport and the organisers, The Events Group in association with Shadetree Sports, will be hoping that some of those top riders will form part of the squad for the Irish event.
"We are proud that Team CSC have accepted our invitation to race in our inaugural Tour of Ireland in August," said Darach McQuaid of Shadetree Sports. "This global team, with a global sponsor, have a lot of world-class riders capable of winning individual stages as well as the general classification and will enhance our event significantly with their presence.
"Kim Andersen, Directeur Sportif at Team CSC, is a former stage winner of the Nissan Classic and himself no stranger to success on Irish roads. This year alone some of their results have included victory in Paris-Roubaix and second overall in the Giro d'Italia. We look forward to seeing them race on Irish soil."
The Tour of Ireland will run from August 22nd - 26th. More ProTour and Professional Continental teams are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
