Rohan Dennis has been left out of the Jumbo-Visma team for the Tour de France, which is headlined by Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert.
Sepp Kuss and Steven Kruijswijk will provide the key climbing support for Roglič and Vingegaard, with Tiesj Benoot, Nathan Van Hooydonck and Christophe Laporte completing the roster.
While Roglič and Vingegaaard lead the Jumbo-Visma general classification challenge, Van Aert has the freedom to pursue the green jersey after he claimed three stage wins on last year’s Tour. The Jumbo-Visma squad has been constructed with those disparate goals in mind.
“We have several ambitions, so we have chosen riders who are the best at different terrains”, directeur sportif Merijn Zeeman said in a statement released by the team.
"We have to guide our leaders safely through the first hectic week but also be able to make it difficult for the other Tour favourites in the mountains.
“Wout also deserves sufficient support in his hunt for stage victories and the green jersey. This squad is fit and, in our view, capable of pursuing our ambitions in the best way possible.”
The omission of Dennis, who joined from Ineos last winter, comes as a surprise after his displays in the early part of the season. The Australian caught the eye at Paris-Nice with his work for Roglič and again at the Tour de Romandie, which he led into the final stage.
Dennis reportedly had stomach issues at the start of the recent Tour de Suisse, and did not finish the race as the whole squad pulled out due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Four riders were said to have tested positive although they have not been named.
Robert Gesink and Mike Teunissen are also notable absentees from the Jumbo-Visma line-up, having been part of the original long list of 11 riders.
Jumbo-Visma for the 2022 Tour de France
- Primož Roglič
- Jonas Vingegaard
- Wout van Aert
- Tiesj Benoot
- Christophe Laporte
- Steven Kruijswijk
- Sepp Kuss
- Nathan Van Hooydonck
