Garmin-Sharp confirm 100th Tour de France team
Hesjedal, Talansky, Martin head up squad
Garmin-Sharp is the final team to confirm its full Tour de France roster, and as expected the American squad will have several options for the overall classification,with 2012 Giro d'Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal topping the list.
American Andrew Talansky will make his Tour debut with high expectations, while Liège - Bastogne - Liège winner Dan Martin, the team's highest finisher in 2012, will be another GC option.
The trio will be supported by veterans Christian Vande Velde, David Millar and Tom Danielson, while Giro stage winner Ramunas Navardauskas, Jack Bauer and Rohan Dennis round out the team. Sprinter Tyler Farrar did not make the cut, nor did David Zabriskie, who broke his collarbone at the Tour of California.
"We have a deep team with a lot of options as we head into the Centennial Tour de France. Our goal is to animate the race and with an aggressive strategy, we will aim to place high in the general classification," team CEO Jonathan Vaughters said.
"We have a few guys capable of achieving that – Ryder's won a Grand Tour and placed in the top 10 of the Tour de France; Andrew is young and while it's his first Tour de France, he is coming off a great season; and Dan Martin is having a breakout year with his wins in Catalunya and Liège - Bastogne - Liège. We will protect our best GC options and see how the race shakes out. Our approach is a little unconventional, but we've managed to come up with surprises every year at the Tour and we're hoping for the same as we head into Corsica."
Garmin-Sharp for the 100th Tour de France: Andrew Talansky, Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin, David Millar, Jack Bauer, Ramunas Navardauskas, Rohan Dennis, Ryder Hesjedal, Tom Danielson
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