May 8/10 10:21 am - Record Number of Canadians for Tour of California

Posted by Editor on 05/8/10
 

In eight days, the 2010 edition of the Amgen Tour of California (AToc) will begin in Nevada City, with a record 15 Canadian riders on the start list, plus the first-ever Canadian registered team to start. Now entering its fifth year, AToC will host 16 teams and 127 riders for an eight stage, 800 mile (1304 kilometre) race.

The event has moved from its traditional mid-February dates to mid-May (16-23), ostensibly to allow the race to enter the 'big mountains' that have always been snow covered during the earlier dates. We say ostensibly because, for 2010, the race still includes only one mountainous stage - Stage 6, from Palmdale to Big Bear Lake, at 2058 metres (6752 feet), with seven categorized climbs (the highest, Dawson Saddle at 2438 metres / 8000 feet). However, even that stage does not include a mountaintop finish, ending with approximately 15 kilometres of flat run-in to the finish line.

The date change has reduced the number of European stars to attend the race, since it now conflicts with the Giro d'Italia. This means many top Italian riders have opted to race their home race, as have others such as world champion Cadel Evans (BMC) and former Tour winner Carlos Sastre (Cervelo).

Despite the date conflict,the AToC has attracted seven ProTour squads with the big draw, as usual, seven time Tour winner Lance Armstrong and his new Radioshack squad. Armstrong's team will likely be supporting three-time AToC winner Levi Leipheimer, as he goes for his fourth consecutive title at this event.

Other contenders for the overall title include Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) and possibly his team mate Fabian Cancellara, who is coming off a stellar Classics season. For stage wins, look to a renewed battle between Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank) for sprint bragging right.

The Canadian contingent starts with Garmin-Transitions team leader Ryder Hesjedal - after a stage win at the Vuelta Espana last year, plus a second place in the Amstel Gold this spring, he could be ready to take a major stage race title. Hesjedal is the only ProTour Canadian at the 2010 AToC, but there are lots of other top Canadian riders on the start list, including former stage winner Dominique Rollin (Cervelo).

The full list of Canadians at the 2010 Amgen Tour of California is:

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions)
Dominique Rollin (Cervelo Test Team)
Rob Britton (Bissell)
Charles Dionne (Fly V Australia)
Will Routley (Jelly Belly p/b Kenda)
Ryan Anderson (Kelly Benefit Strategies)
Daivd Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies)
David Boily (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Guillaume Boivin (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Martin Gilbert (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Kevin Lacombe (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Bruno Langlois (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Francois Parisien (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Andrew Randell (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy)
Andrew Pinfold (United Healthcare p/b Maxxis)

It is also interesting to note, that there are potentially three Canadian team directors at this year's race - Steve Bauer (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy), Eric Wohlberg (Bissell) and Gord Fraser (United Healthcare p/b Maxxis).  Note:  Sheri Jay has since pointed out that two more Canadians will be involved in managerial roles - Kevin Fields will be assistant to Steve Bauer (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy) and Jacob Erker is assistant Directeur Sportif for Kelly Benefit Strategies.


Preliminary 2010 AToC rosters (subject to change):

Pro Tour Teams

Garmin-Transitions - USA
Steven Cozza (USA)
Thomas Danielson (USA)
Ryder Hesjedal (Can)
Robbie Hunter (RSA)
Thomas Peterson (USA)
Peter Stetina (USA)
Matthew Wilson (Aus)
David Zabriskie (USA)

Liquigas-Doimo - Italy
Francesco Bellotti (Ita)
Francesco Chicchi (Ita)
Davide Cimolai (Ita)
Manuel Quinziato (Ita)
Peter Sagan (Svk)
Ivan Santaromita (Ita)
Brian Vandborg (Den)
Elia Viviani (Ita)

Quick Step - Belgium
Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Esp)
Tom Boonen (Bel)
Kurt Hovelynck (Bel)
Kevin Hulsmans (Bel)
Nikolas Maes (Bel)
Andreas Stauff (Ger)
Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel)
Maarten Wynants (Bel)

Rabobank - Netherlands
Lars Boom (Ned)
Stef Clement (Ned)
Steven Kruijswijk (Ned)
Sebastian Langeveld (Ned)
Thomas Leezer (Ned)
Paul Martens (Ger)
Grischa Niermann (Ger)
Maarten Tjallingii (Ned)

Team HTC-Columbia - USA
Lars Ytting Bak (Den)
Mark Cavendish (GBr)
Bernhard Eisel (Aut)
Tony Martin (Ger)
Mark Renshaw (Aus)
Michael Rogers (Aus)
Hayden Roulston (NZl)
Tejay Van Garderen (USA)

Team RadioShack - USA
Lance Armstrong (USA)
Janez Brajkovic (Slo)
Christopher Horner (USA)
Levi Leipheimer (USA)
Jason McCartney (USA)
Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz)
Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)
José Luis Rubiera Vigil (Esp)

Team Saxo Bank - Denmark
Matti Breschel (Den)
Fabian Cancellara (Sui)
Jakob Fuglsang (Den)
Juan José Haedo (Arg)
Stuart O'Grady (Aus)
Andy Schleck (Lux)
Andre Steensen (Den)
Jens Voigt (Ger)

Pro Continental Teams

BMC Racing Team - USA
Chad Beyer (USA)
Marcus Burghart (Ger)
Chris Butler (USA)
Mathias Frank (Sui)
George Hincapie (USA)
Alexander Kristoff (Nor)
Jackson Stewart (USA)
Simon Zahner (Sui)

Cervélo TestTeam - Switzerland
Theo Bos (Ned)
Joao Correia (Por)
Philip Deignan (Irl)
Heinrich Haussler (Ger)
Jeremy Hunt (GBr)
Brett Lancaster (Aus)
Oscar Pujol Munoz (Esp)
Dominique Rollin (Can)

Continental Teams

Bissell - USA
Rob Britton (Can)
Daniel Holloway (USA)
Andy Jacques-Maynes (USA)
Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA)
Peer Latham (NZl)
Paul Mach (USA)
Jeremy Vennell (NZl)
Kyle Wamsley (USA)

Fly V Australia - Australia
Jonathan Cantwell (Aus)
Jai Crawford (Aus)
Benjamin Day (Aus)
Charles Dionne (Can)
Aaron Kemps (Aus)
Bernard Sulzberger (Aus)
Jay Robert Thomson (RSA)
Phil Zajicek (USA)

Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda - USA
Jonathan Chordoff (USA)
William Dicknson (Aus)
Michael Friedman (USA)
Charles Bradley Huff (USA)
Jeremy Powers (USA)
Kiel Reijnen (USA)
Will Routley (Can)
Bernard Van Ulden (USA)

Kelly Benefit Strategies - USA
Ryan Anderson (Can)
Jesse Anthony (USA)
Dan Bowman (USA)
Alex Candelario (USA)
Reid Mumford (USA)
Neil Shirley (USA)
David Veilleux (Can)
Scott Zwizanski (USA)

SpiderTech Powered by Planet Energy - Canada
David Boily (Can)
Guillaume Boivin (Can)
Lucas Euser (USA)
Martin Gilbert (Can)
Kevin Lacombe (Can)
Bruno Langlois (Can)
Francois Parisien (Can)
Andrew Randell (Can)

Team Type 1 - USA
Davide Frattini (Ita)
Ken Hanson (USA)
Aldo Ino Ilesic (Slo)
Christopher Jones (USA)
Valery Kobzarenko (Ukr)
Javier Megias Leal (Esp)
Thomas Rabou (Ned)
Scott Stewart (USA)

UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis - USA
Christopher Baldwin (USA)
Matthew Crane (USA)
Marc De Maar (Ned)
Max Jenkins (USA)
Karl Menzies (Aus)
Andrew Pinfold (Can)
Rory Sutherland (Aus)
Bradley White (USA)