Final international race for multiple Tour de France winner
Triple Swiss champion Gregory Rast and Spanish climber Markel Irizar will be part of a solid six-man squad supporting Lance Armstrong in his final international event next month, the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under.
The 39 year old Texan is riding the race for the third year in a row, and has chosen it as his farewell race outside the United States. While he might do later events like the Tour of California and Quiznos Pro Cycling Challenge, he has no plans to compete elsewhere overseas after the Australian event.
It is not known if Armstrong will be competitive enough to contend for the final overall title, given that he is training for his return to triathlon, and is currently in Iraq and Afghanistan visiting troops. However he may well want to leave his mark on the race, knowing that it is bringing his long career to a close.
“It’s good to see Team RadioShack returning to the Santos Tour Down Under for the second time since its debut in 2010,” said Santos Tour Down Under Race Director Mike Turtur today.
“It will return with seasoned riders such as Sebastian Rosseler and Jason McCartney who both rode with Armstrong at the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under. Another strong rider to join the team in Adelaide is three-time Swiss Champion Gregory Rast who has an impressive Swiss National Road Race Championships record.”
Turtur believes that Irizar should fare well, especially as he has performed strongly in the race before. He points out that he took the Škoda King of the Mountains classification two years ago.
The team will be completed by the Belgian rider Ben Hermans and the Portuguese competitor Manuel Cardoso, who beat 2009 Vuelta a España winner Alejandro Valverde, world champion Cadel Evans and promising young rider Peter Sagan to win stage three this year. Cardoso’s daring attack inside the final kilometre took the others by surprise, but it was his strength which ensured he stayed clear until the line.
Turtur thinks the combination of riders will ensure the team leader has a good chance at performing strongly. “From this line-up, Armstrong will be well supported by a strong squad that has a good combination of youth and experience for his farewell ride,” he said.
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Team RadioShack for Santos Tour Down Under 2011:
Lance Armstrong (USA)
Markel Irizar (Spain)
Sebastian Rosseler (Belgium)
Jason McCartney (USA)
Gregory Rast (Switzerland)
Ben Hermans (Belgium)
Manuel Cardoso (Portugal)
Directeur sportif: Jose Azevedo (Portugal)