Tour de France
Impey in GreenEdfe TDF team
2012-06-25 08:34
Paris - Australian team Orica-GreenEdge announced their nine-man team for this year's Tour de France on Sunday, with Matt Goss named as the designated leader for the sprint stages.
A stage winner during May's Giro d'Italia, Goss made his Tour de France debut last year as part of the HTC-Highroad team that helped Mark Cavendish win the green points jersey.
Now he will be supported by fellow Australians Baden Cooke and Brett Lancaster and South Africa's Daryl Impey.
Orica-GreenEdge, the first Australian team to race the Tour, have built their team with a focus on stage wins in both the sprints and the hillier stages.
Much will also be expected of Simon Gerrans, winner of the Milan-SanRemo in March, and of Switzerland's Michael Albasini and Dutchman Pieter Weening.
Veteran Australian Stuart O'Grady, who took part in his first Tour de France in 1997 and is now 38, is also called up.
The experienced O'Grady has spent nine days in the yellow jersey in the past, and has been named the team's "road captain" by sporting director Matt White.
Orica-GreenEdge team:Michael Albasini (SUI), Baden Cooke (AUS), Simon Gerrans (AUS), Matt Goss (AUS),
Daryl Impey (RSA), Brett Lancaster (AUS), Sebastian Langeveld (NED), Stuart O'Grady (AUS), Pieter Weening (NED)