Martin, Hesjedal and Talansky to lead Garmin-Sharp at Vuelta a Espana

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Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) struggled to make the time cut on stage 11, riding alone for 90km.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Garmin-Sharp will take a three-pronged approach to the Vuelta a España with Dan Martin, Ryder Hesjedal and Andrew Talansky set to lead the team. David Millar will also ride his first Grand Tour of the year, after missing out on selection for the Tour de France.

Martin was set to take on the general classification at the Giro d’Italia, but the Irish rider didn’t make it to the end of the first stage. He hit a manhole cover during the opening team time trial, causing him to crash and take out almost half the team. Hesjedal was able to salvage the race for the team, overcoming the initial time losses to come ninth overall. Koldo Fernandez, who broke his collarbone in the day one crash, also makes the Vuelta selection.

Joining the trio will be veteran ride Millar, who will retire at the end of the season. With 23 Grand Tour’s under his belt, Millar will provide a wealth of experience in the final three-week race of his career. Millar was due to ride the Tour de France, but missed selection when he fell ill ahead of the race. The Scottish rider was understandably disappointed with the decision and was extremely vocal about it.