Garmin announces 2010 line-up

Team Garmin-Transitions has announced its full roster for the 2010 road season, with Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin and David Zabriskie all confirmed as having renewed their contracts, and new signings Jack Bobridge, Johan Van Summeren and Robbie Hunter all coming aboard.

The new trio join the likes of David Millar, Tyler Farrar and Ryder Hesjedal in the team’s line-up as Garmin-Transitions seeks to put behind it a 2009 season in which big-race victories proved pretty elusive and which of course ended with it losing Bradley Wiggins, fourth-place finisher in the Tour de France, to Team Sky.

Vande Velde, who has extended his contract until 2012, had finished fifth in the 2008 Tour, but came eighth this year after struggling to find top form following recovery from injuries sustained during the Giro d’Italia, including five fractured vertebrae and two broken ribs.

The rider said: “I’ve come an long way with Team Garmin-Transitions in a short time. I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve done as part of this team and I’m excited to see what the next three years have to hold.”

However, the American should lead the Garmin-Transitions’ team in next year’s race, when it will be looking to build on last year’s performance where, despite finishing second to Astana in the team rankings, it failed to win a single stage, with David Millar reeled in close to the finish while attempting a solo victory on the stage into Barcelona, and Tyler Farrar unable a peripheral figure as Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushovd fought out the sprints for the points jersey.

Farrar’s two biggest wins of the season came through winning a stage each of the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Vuelta, and the sprinter will be looking forward to having the experience in the lead-out of ex-Barloworld rider Hunter, the first South African to win a stage of the Tour de France, as he seeks greater success next year.

Canadian Hesjedal also won a stage during the Vuelta, as did David Millar, who took the penultimate day’s time trial, but that was the extent of the team’s stage wins during the year’s three Grand Tours.

Other major wins during 2009 came through the Team Time Trial at the Tour of Qatar, a stage of Paris-Nice courtesy of Vande Velde, and one in the Tour of California thanks to Tom Danielson, while Zabriskie took first and second overall in, respectively, the Tour of Missouri and the Tour of California.

Wiggins, meanwhile, won the Individual Time Trial during the Three Days of De Panne, plus the overall title in the Jayco Herald SunTour while Chris Sutton, who joins him at Team Sky, won the opening stage of the Tour of Britain.

Irish rider Martin, who has extended his contract until 2012, claimed “the progress we have made together in the past two seasons shows what a perfect environment Garmin-Transitions is for a young rider. I’m really excited to have the chance to continue to improve, grow and have fun in what is the perfect team for me.”

Meanwhile Zabriskie, now signed through to the end of 2013, said: “It’s a beautiful thing. To commit for four years myself, and to have the team commit to me is something really special.”

Up-and-coming Australian Bobridge, aged 20, who signed for the team back in May with his contract not beginning on 1 January, won the under-23 time trial at the UCI World Championships in Mendrisio in September and has won a number of National and Oceania titles at under 23 and senior level on both the road and the track.

The Belgian Van Summeren – at six foot five an unmistakable sight in the peloton – joins from Silence-Lotto, and counts among his palmarès top ten finishes in the last two editions of Paris-Roubaix, the overall win in the 2007 Tour of Poland and the sprints classification in the 2006 Tour of Britain.

Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of the team’s management company, Slipstream Sports, commented: “We’re poised well for 2010. Our roster is strong and versatile with some of the world’s best riders returning to us, and the addition of others.”

He continued, “this year we will look to build on Tyler’s success by adding lead-out guys, we’ve added climbers to help Christian in the mountains and we’ve rounded out our Classics team. With Christian, Dan and David signing on for the next few years, we’ve built a foundation that we will be able to enhance in years to come. Looking ahead to 2010, we expect to be competitive throughout the year.”

The complete team roster for 2010 is:

Jack Bobridge, AUS
Kirk Carlson, USA
Steven Cozza, USA
Tom Danielson, USA
Julian Dean, NZ
Timmy Duggan, USA
Tyler Farrar, USA
Ryder Hesjedal, CAN
Robbie Hunter, SA
Fredrik Kessiakoff, SWE
Raymond Kreder, NED
Trent Lowe, AUS
Dan Martin, GB
Maartijn Maaskant, NED
Christian Meier, CAN
Cameron Meyer, AUS
Travis Meyer, AUS
David Millar, GB
Danny Pate, USA
Thomas Peterson, USA
Peter Stetina, USA
Svein Tuft, CAN
Johan Van Summeren, BEL
Ricardo van der Velde, NED
Christian Vande Velde, USA
Matt Wilson, AUS
David Zabriskie, USA