Spanish national championships to provide Caisse d'Epargne's final three

Image 1 of 2

Caisse d'Epargne have confirmed their first six riders for the Tour de France on Wednesday. The team will announce the final three riders after the Spanish national championships on Sunday in the Cantabria region.

David Arroyo, Ivan Gutiérrez, Luis Pasamontes, Oscar Pereiro, Luis León Sánchez and Xabier Zandio are the six riders confirmed to start the Tour in Monaco on July 4.

Three final three riders will be selected from Rui Costa, Arnaud Coyot, José Joaquin Rojas and Rigoberto Uran.

Despite his exclusion from the Tour de France squad, Alejandro Valverde will be aiming to defend his Spanish national title when the men’s road race takes place on Sunday. The reigning champion will benefit from the strong presence of his Caisse d'Epargne team mates on a hilly 196km course between Comillas and Cueva el Soplao. Alberto Contador (Astana) is expected to be one of the main challengers to Valverde’s title defence.