Liberty and Cofidis for Paris-Nice

Liberty Seguros' team manager Manolo Saiz is sending a relatively young roster to the upcoming French "race to the sun", Paris-Nice. Alberto Contador, Andrey Kashechkin and Luis León Sánchez have been announced as the team leaders for the event, with Australian Allan Davis also lined up to battle it out in sprint finishes. Daniel Navarro, Sergio Paulinho and José Antonio Redondo round out the squad.

French team Cofidis will be looking to win the race's prologue - a 4.8 kilometre time trial in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris, home of the race organiser's headquarters. British rider Bradley Wiggins, Belgian Rik Verbrugghe and Sylvain Chavanel head the team's roster going into the event, as Colombian Ivan Parra and David Moncoutié will get into the action in the last, mountainous stages.

"Parra has been training well, so the week-end stages will be a test for him," said team manager Eric Boyer about the climber, who switched to Cofidis at the end of last season. Stéphane Augé, Thierry Marichal and Maxime Monfort will also take the start in Paris.

Taking place a few days later, the Italian stage race Tirreno Adriatico will see Italian Cofidis rider Leonardo Bertagnolli represent the team in France's neighbouring country. French men Jimmy Casper and Arnaud Coyot, who won the Classic Haribo, as well as Dutch rider Michiel Elijzen will be participating. Elijzen had fractured his kneecap in a crash at the Tour of Qatar at the end of January, but is ready to take up competition again.