The Tour de France announces its team selection for the ’09 race.
- By Andrew Hood
- Published Mar. 17, 2009
Twenty teams have been selected for the 2009 Tour de France, but Fuji-Servetto won’t be among them.
France: Ag2r-La Mondiale, Agritubel, Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, FDJeux
Belgium: Quick Step, Silence-Lotto
Spain: Caisse d’Epargne, Euskaltel-Euskadi
USA: Columbia-Highroad, Garmin-Slipstream
Italy: Lampre, Liquigas
Netherlands: Rabobank, Skil-Shimano
Germany: Milram
Denmark: Saxo Bank
Kazakhstan: Astana
Russia: Katusha
Switzerland: Cervélo TestTeam
The Spanish-based team — the former Saunier Duval team scorched by CERA positives by Riccardo Riccò and Leonardo Piepoli in last year’s edition — was the only ProTour team not among invitations released Tuesday by Tour organizers.
Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) invited three continental pro teams: Cervélo TestTeam of defending champion Carlos Sastre, French squad Agritubel and Dutch team Skil-Shimano.
Astana, which was kept out of last year’s Tour, will be back for the start in Monaco.
The American teams Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia-Highroad each received bids to start the Tour, July 4-26.
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.