Focus on GC and hilly stages sees Farrar and Zabriskie miss out on selection
Featuring several riders capable of targeting stage wins plus high overall finishes, the Garmin Sharp team for the Tour de France will be based around the trio of Ryder Hesjedal, Dan Martin and Andrew Talansky.
The American team has confirmed its lineup for this year’s race and with the ambitions of those riders central to its goals, it has taken the decision to leave out team regulars Tyler Farrar and Dave Zabriskie. The latter fractured his collarbone in mid-May and was in a race against time to get ready.
Instead, Hesjedal, Martin and Talansky will be joined by former top ten finishers Christian Vande Velde and Tom Danielson, past race leader David Millar, 2013 Giro d’Italia stage winner Ramunas Navardauskas, plus Tour debutants Jack Bauer and Rohan Dennis.
“We have a deep team with a lot of options as we head into the Centennial Tour de France. Our goal is to animate the race and with an aggressive strategy, we will aim to place high in the general classification,” team CEO Jonathan Vaughters said.
“We have a few guys capable of achieving that – Ryder’s won a Grand Tour and placed in the top 10 of the Tour de France; Andrew is young and while it’s his first Tour de France, he is coming off a great season; and Dan Martin is having a breakout year with his wins in Catalunya and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
“We will protect our best GC options and see how the race shakes out. Our approach is a little unconventional, but we’ve managed to come up with surprises every year at the Tour and we’re hoping for the same as we head into Corsica.”
Hesjedal was fired up to fight for the overall win in last year’s race but crashed out of the event. He returned to the Giro d’Italia this season aiming to successfully defend his title, yet also withdrew early due to illness. The Tour therefore represents a chance for him to turn things around, while for Martin and Talansky it is an opportunity to transfer the strong form they have shown in shorter events this year into a big Tour ride.
Directeur sportif Charly Wegelius is convinced that a successful campaign could well lie ahead. “We have a good mix of guys with a lot of experience combined with young riders competing in their first Tour de France,” he stated.
“We have options when it comes to general classification and we also have riders who are capable of stage wins, so we’ll be looking for those opportunities as well. It’s going to be an exciting three weeks.”
Team Garmin-Sharp for 2013 Tour de France:
Andrew Talansky
Christian Vande Velde
Dan Martin
David Millar
Jack Bauer
Ramunas Navardauskas
Rohan Dennis
Ryder Hesjedal
Tom Danielson