Garmin-Cervélo names Tour de France roster

Team Garmin-Cervélo will be combining its veteran talent with two newcomers to the Tour de France when the race starts on July 2. World champion Thor Hushovd and GC contender Christian Vande Velde will lead the squad, while sprinter Tyler Farrar and lead-out man Julian Dean will look to get the American his first Tour de France stage victory.

Adding horsepower to the squad is Ryder Hesjedal, who, having taken 7th overall, can double as a GC man as well as a mountain domestique and motor for the team time trial. Time trial power will also come from David Zabriskie and David Millar.

Slipstream Sports CEO and director Jonathan Vaughters chose Tour first-timers Tom Danielson and Ramunas Navardauskas over Paris-Roubaix champion Johan Vansummeren, much to the surprise of the Belgian public.

“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 Vaughters. “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 home. 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.”

None of the team's six Australian riders, including  2009 Tour de France stage winner Heinrich Haussler, were selected.

Team Garmin-Cervélo for the Tour de France: Tom Danielson, Julian Dean, Tyler Farrar, Ryder Hesjedal, Thor Hushovd, David Millar, Ramunas Navardauskas, Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie