Tyler Farrar has high hopes for Garmin-Cervelo
US sprinter Tyler Farrar has said the Garmin-Cervelo team will be one of the strongest during the 2011 season, during which he hopes to improve on his performance in this year's Tour de France.
Farrar, whose team Garmin-Transitions is due to merge with the Cervelo TestTeam to form the new outfit, will race alongside several new riders next season.
With Classics specialists Heinrich Haussler, Roger Hammond and Adreas Klier all transferring to Garmin-Cervelo, Farrar has said he is confident the team will fare well next spring.
"On paper we are one of, if not the strongest, teams in the world," he said. "When you look to the races we have a lot of the best Classics riders out there. We've got guys who are reliable so we'll know that if things aren't going well for one rider we've
got others that can take up the mantle."
Farrar and Hushovd now team-mates
Another addition to the squad will be Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd, who won the points classification at last year's Tour.
With Farrar and Hushovd, Garmin-Cervelo will be in a position to bid for any points classification, but the former rivals have yet to define their roles as team-mates.
"We've always gotten along well and have been friendly as competitors. Obviously it will be a little different now but it'll be good. How will things work between us has been one of the hottest questions I've faced in the last few months but honestly we'll
sit down face-to-face and look at the race schedule and make some plans."
Farrar, who withdrew from this year's Tour following the 12th stage after fracturing his wrist earlier in the race, made up for the disappointment in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana, winning two stages in each race.
Despite HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish one more stage than Farrar at the Vuelta, the 26-year-old said his performance in Spain offered him some well-needed encouragement ahead of 2011.
"It felt good to know that I can beat Cavendish when I'm on. I didn't race against him much at all this year, basically the Tour and the Vuelta, and at the Tour it was a disaster. At the Vuelta I got through without any problems, took some wins and I've
headed into the off season on a high."
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