• Team profile

Saxo Bank Sungard

Established: 2009

Team without a leader

Alberto Contador remains the team’s putative leader while cycling authorities decide how to punish his failed dope test at the Tour. Before his provisional suspension, Contador introduced a Spanish flavour to Bjarne Riis’s squad. In the wake of an exodus to Team Leopard-Trek, mountain domestiques Jesus Hernandez, Daniel Navarro and Benjamin Noval arrived to fill gaps left by riders such as Jakob Fuglsang and Jens Voigt.

Riis’ plan B revolves around Richie Porte, the revelation of 2010, who wore the pink jersey at the Giro and finished seventh. Classics ambitions lie with Nick Nuyens from Rabobank but he hasn’t the firepower of other contenders. Ultimately though, Riis’ biggest issue might be creating a cohesive unit after a decade of binding riders together was undone by the departure of the Schlecks and others.

Riders

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