Team Garmin unveils Tour de France roster

Team Garmin-Transitions has named the nine pro cyclists who will be donning our iconic Argyle jerseys this Saturday to brave the 2010 Tour de France. Headed up by team leader and last year’s eighth-ranked Christian Vande Velde, the squad will square up to the 20-stage race to cover a 3,642-kilometre course snaking across France, the Netherlands and Brussels.

Three Americans have been named in the squad, with sprint master Tyler Farrar and grand tour star David Zabriskie supporting Vande Velde in his endeavour for overall victory. Britain’s very own David Millar joins the ranks with his eye on a third Tour de France stage victory of his career.

Celebrating the team’s international flavour are New Zealander Julian Dean, Canadian Ryder Hesjedal and South African Robbie Hunter, adding their endurance and expertise to our bid for tour victory. Martijn Masskand from the Netherlands and Belgian Johan Van Summerren round up the squad and will be crossing their homelands in the early stages of the event.

Team Garmin-Transitions’ Director of Competition Matthew White is confident in the roster’s blend of experience and skill to brave this notoriously demanding course: “With so many riders going so well all season, selecting the Tour team was difficult,” says White. “But we knew we needed a squad that could support Christian for the overall, Tyler in the sprint stages, and also be on the lookout for other opportunities. We’ve certainly found the right mix in this group and I have a lot of faith in these athletes.”

The 97th Tour de France runs from Saturday 3 July – Sunday 25 July and covers a distance of 3,642 kilometers over a prologue and 20 stages cycling through some of the sport’s most gruelling conditions and terrain. Follow our Tour here.