Garmin-Cervelo plans for stacked squad
Team Garmin-Cervelo sports director Matthew White has had to warn his own riders that as a result of the merger of Garmin-Transitions and the Cervelo TestTeam, no promises can be made as to who races what. Both teams had a powerful
Classics squad before the merger and now the depth of the lineup is such that no riders can be guaranteed a start in the Sprint Classics.
“Before we really have struggled to put eight guys together who are ready to race Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, but we’re not going to have any problem next year,” said White to
Cyclingnews. “There’ll actually be guys missing out – there’ll be two or three world-class riders missing out.”
The 2011 lineup will work together for the first time at the training camp in the Cayman Islands in November, where many of the world’s best sprinters will be lining up beside their former opponents in a stacked team including the
likes of Thor Hushovd, Heinrich Haussler, Tyler Farrar, Julian Dean, Christian Vande Velde and Ryder Hesjedal.
“It’s not a training camp, it’s a get together,” said White. “We will be riding bikes there but basically when you’ve got a third of a new team and the blokes don’t know each other it’s a good time – before the racing starts and before
the real work starts – just to get to know each other a bit where it’s a more relaxed environment.”
Daniel Lloyd is one new rider among the many former Cervelo riders being incorporated into Garmin-Cervelo, and he is one of the many hopefuls for a place in the Classics lineup. The Englishman already managed to be chosen to ride
the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in only his second season at the top level and has significant experience in the Classics from his two years at the TestTeam.
“I’ve got an idea of what I’d like to do, especially something like the Tour of Flanders with Thor being in the rainbow jersey,” said Lloyd. “It’s going to be a huge privilege to be on the start line in those kinds of races where he’s got a chance of winning.
They’re also the race I’ve most enjoyed and done well in over the last couple of years.”
Tyler Farrar is one of the riders from the Garmin side of the equation who plans to keep his spot on the Classics squad and has already been confirmed by the team for the season kick-off Tour Down Under in Australia in January. Farrar has been called by
Mark Cavendish as his toughest competition in the sprints and put up a spirited fight this year in the Tour de France, though he is yet to win a stage.
“I believe he could be the next big threat to international sprinters,” said Tour Down Under organiser Mike Turtur. “Farrar has had an impressive season, with two stage wins each in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, as well as finishing top three in
some Tour de France stages despite a broken wrist. He has also won the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Germany for the last two years.”
He is a possibility for the overall victory at the Australian Tour, a stage race which has always favoured the more versatile sprinters. André Griepel won in 2008 and 2010, bookending Allan Davis’ victory in 2009. At a race like this, Farrar’s endurance
for hills makes him an overall contender where pure sprinters like Cavendish can’t compete.
World time-trial champion Thor Hushovd and local rider Heinrich Haussler are expected to compete with Farrar in the race. The Garmin rider is only the second cyclist confirmed for the event, after Lance Armstrong announced that he would retire from international
competition after the Tour Down Under, held January 16-23.
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