Top teams and riders expected at Volta ao Algarve

Alberto Contador is planning to take on the Volta ao Algarve and will face other top riders including Bradley Wiggins, Christopher Froome and Edvald Boasson Hagen from Team Sky. The Portuguese race this week announced the teams which will ride in its 38th edition from February 15 to 19.

Ten WorldTour teams will participate: AG2R, BMC, Garmin-Cervelo, Lotto-Belisol, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, Rabobank, RadioShack-Nissan, Saxo Bank, Sky and Vacansoleil. Professional Continental teams Topsport-Vlaanderen and UnitedHealthcare will be there, as will the Portuguese  Continental teams.

Riders pre-registered for the race include Wiggins, Froome, and Boasson Hagen of Sky; Contador from Saxo Bank; Andreas Klöden, Nelson Oliveira and Tiago Machado from RadioShack-Nissan; and Nicolas Roche of AG2R.

“The conditions are so that we have not only a great sporting spectacle, but also an important socio-economic event,” said race director, Rogerio Teixeira, according to publico.pt.