BMC Racing
Launched in 2007, BMC began competing in Grand Tours last year, once they had secured prominent cyclists including Cadel Evans on their roster. Evans has been world champion and twice came in second at the Tour. The team will focus on driving the Australian to the top of the podium this year, and Evans is showing good form, with first place finishes at last month’s Tour de Romandie and the Tirreno-Adriatico in March. BMC is partly owned by legend Jim Ochowicz, who founded the 7-Eleven Cycling Team that put American cycling on the world map in the 1980’s. Fan favorite George Hincapie is also a key member of the team. He served as Lance Armstrong’s loyal teammate for all seven of the Texan’s Tour de France wins and has completed the race a remarkable fifteen times so far. Born in New York, Big George turns 38 years old this week, and while his age may slow him down, the wisdom he brings to the team will be a great asset. The remaining team members participating at the Tour include Brent Bookwalter (USA), Marcus Burghardt (GER), Amael Moinard (FRA), Steve Morabito (SUI), Manuel Quinziato (ITA), Ivan Santaromita (ITA), and Michael Shar (SUI). To follow BMC, keep an eye on the overall race.
HTC-Highroad
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| Eisel |
Team HTC has electrified the sprint competition in pro cycling. Their British superstar Mark Cavendish has won an amazing fifteen stages at the Tour de France in the last three years, crediting his success to strong team support. While cycling may seem like an individual sport with a sole cyclist earning each stage win, the role of the team is significant, as they drive the tempo of the race, protect their stars from trouble, and launch him to sprint alone to the line at the last possible moment, after allowing him to conserve his energy all day. HTC’s lead-out train on the sprint stages is legendary, and the team is considered nearly impossible to beat. In addition, there is an outside chance for German Tony Martin to do well in the general classification, but he is more likely to give fellow riders a run for their money at the individual time trial. The team time trial is another strength for HTC; they won the stage at the Giro d’Italia in May. HTC has racked up 466 wins since 2008. While it does not appear that HTC has announced their Tour de France roster, expected riders include Cavendish’s favorite lead-out man Mark Renshaw (AUS) and Bernard Eisel (AUT).
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| Danielson with his son |
This American team may be the most well-rounded squad competing at this year’s Tour. Garmin will be shooting for the win in the individual time trial and the sprint stages, and they will be in the mix for team time trial and general classification. Colorful American David Zabriskie will be a contender for the individual time trial win, as he considered one of the best in the world at the discipline. Tyler Farrar is the squad’s great sprinter, and fans are eager for the American to best HTC’s Cavendish, something he failed to do at last year’s Tour. A challenge to Farrar’s race preparation was the death of friend and fellow cyclist Wouter Weylandt at the Giro d’Italia in May. Farrar withdrew from the competition, and it is unknown whether he is at peak form. Garmin has surprised the cycling world with unexpected performances in general classification competitors, including Ryder Hesjedal, the Canadian who finished seventh last year, and Christian Vande Velde, the American who finished fourth in 2008. The team has announced that Tom Danielson will compete in his first Tour de France but has not yet revealed the riders to accompany him. Born in Connecticut, the 33-year-old Danielson rode aggressively at the Tour de Suisse earlier this month, finishing ninth. Garmin is run by the controversial team manager Jonathan Vaughters, known for his hipster sideburns and sharp personality.
Radioshack
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| Leipheimer |
Fans of the last ten years in American cycling are likely to follow this team, launched in 2009 and co-owned by Lance Armstrong. Californian Levi Leipheimer is the team leader since Armstrong’s second retirement earlier this year. An excellent time trialer and solid in the mountains, Leipheimer will again compete for general classification results, which peaked at third place in 2007. He is 36 years old. His teammate Chris Horner is a wild card for this Tour de France. The 39-year-old from Oregon is riding high from his win at the Tour of California in May, where Leipheimer finished second. At last year’s Tour de France, Horner surprised many with his aggressive riding in the mountains, where he was tasked to assist Armstrong. Both Leipheimer and Horner have proven able to set aside their egos for the sake of the team when a stronger teammate emerges, so the pair should be an asset to the team, rather than an internal distraction or competition. Further, the German Andreas Kloden is another contender for the general classification, and the team members have a history of excellent results in the team time trial. The RadioShack sports director is Johan Bruyneel, who served that role for each Armstrong victory as well as the first win for Alberto Contador. While the team signed veteran sprinter Robbie McEwen this season, he was not included in the Tour roster. In addition to Leipheimer, Horner, and Kloden, the remaining squad members riding in France will be Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Markel Irizar (ESP), Dmitriy Muravyev (KAZ), Sergio Paulinho (POR), Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), and Haimar Zubeldia (ESP), an older group, particularly compared to the HTC roster.
With four solid teams, fans can count on American squads creating excitement at the 2011 Tour de France. In many disciplines—time trials, sprints, general classification—the U.S. teams will aim to bring home the win. So watch out, Europe. The Yankees are coming!
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