Hunter, Soler lead Barloworld at Tour

By Andrew Hood

Barloworld is hoping this year’s Tour de France is as good as last year’s.

In 2007, the wild-card team was one of the Tour’s biggest surprises, winning a sprint stage with Robbie Hunter and a mountain stage and the King of the Mountains jersey with breakout Colombian Mauricio Soler.

For this year, the team is heading into its second Tour with quiet ambitions that things will be just as good.

“We can’t automatically expect to get the same impressive results, but we will be aiming to do even better this year,” team manager Claudio Corti said in a team announcement. “We won’t be considered an ‘outsider’ this year and will be at the start in Brest determined to do well throughout the Tour de France.”

Hunter and Soler will be back as the team brings a squad loaded with stage-hunters with Soler an outside shot for the podium.

The team announced its full nine-man Tour roster Thursday with a unique squad that includes three African riders, a first in Tour history. Joining South African Hunter will be compatriot John-Lee Augustyn and Christopher Froome of Kenya.

Hunter will see additional support in the sprints from former green jersey winner Baden Cooke while Soler will see help in the mountains from compatriot Felix Cãrdenas, winner of a stage in the 2001 Tour.

Corti is hopeful that Soler, who crashed out of the Giro d’Italia with a broken wrist, will be at his best in time for the Tour. Soler is training at altitude in Colombia, but team officials say he still hasn’t fully recovered from his wrist injury.

“We’re in constant contact with him and we know that the injury to his wrist is still causing him some problems,” Corti said. “Medical specialists have told us that the complete healing of the bone only occurs after 40 days, so it is normal that he still feels some pain. The pain should ease over time.”

Officials said Soler is scheduled to travel to Italy on June 26 where he will undergo intense, motor-pacing workouts to regain race speed in his legs.

The team is scheduled to arrive in Brest on July 2.

Barloworld for 2008 Tour de France

Mauricio Soler (Col), Robert Hunter (South Africa), Baden Cooke (Aus), Felix Cardénas (Col), Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita), Moises Dueñas Nevado (Spa), Gianpaolo Cheula (Ita), John-Lee Augustyn (South Africa) and Christopher Froome (Kenya) Reserves: Hugo Sabido (Por) and Diego Caccia (Ita)

FILED UNDER: Road / Tour de France TAGS: Tour de France

Andrew Hood

Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.

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