Christian Vande Velde will lead the squad (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team Garmin-Chipotle director sportif Jonathan Vaughters has named the roster the squad will take to France for its Tour de France debut next month. Vaughters' squad will feature three of the four USA riders competing in this year's Grand Tour, with a mixture of seasoned and debutant riders making up the team's roster.
Christian Vande Velde will be the American Professional Continental team's general classification hope, although the squad also expects Trent Lowe to be strong throughout his debut in the Tour. Other riders debuting with the team include Will Frischkorn, Ryder Hesjedal, Danny Pate and Martyn Maaskant.
"Bringing a team to the Tour de France has always been our vision," said Jonathan Vaughters. "The riders on and off this list have worked incredibly hard for this. As a team, we are dedicated to giving our fans – and the world – something to cheer for at the Tour."
The team will count on the experience of riders like Vande Velde, former Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Backstedt, Julian Dean and David Millar during its first outing at the French Grand Tour.
Notably absent from the American team's roster are Dave Zabriskie and Tom Danielson. Zabriskie isn't able to take part in the French race after cracking a vertebra on the second day of last month's Giro d'Italia.
Danielson is also unable to contest the event for medical reasons. The much-loved rider has had a quiet season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his shoulder and two ruptured discs in his back, something Vaughters says he has only 80 percent recovered from.
"He's up and down," Vaughters told the Denver Post. "He's certainly not ready for the Tour yet. We've got to give him a little more time. We'll put him in some hard races."
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Vaughters announced earlier this month the signing of Garmin as the team's new title sponsor. The outfit's new jerseys and team-cars will be revealed at a launch on July 3, in Brest, France, just two days before the squad makes its Tour debut.
Team Garmin-Chipotle Tour de France roster: Magnus Backstedt, Julian Dean, Will Frischkorn, Ryder Hesjedal, Trent Lowe, Martijn Maaskant, David Millar, Danny Pate and Christian Vande Velde.
