A crash-filled Stage 2 of the Tour de France saw five Team Garmin-Transitions riders hit the pavement. Christian Vande Velde, Tyler Farrar and Julian Dean were all taken to a local hospital where they were evaluated by team and hospital physicians.

Christian Vande Velde suffered a left eyelid laceration requiring multiple stitches, along with two broken ribs. Tyler Farrar sprained his left elbow and suffered a significant hematoma and abrasion. He also fractured his left wrist and suffered multiple other contusions and abrasions. Julian Dean suffered a large contusion on his left upper back. David Millar, who did not go to the hospital for x-rays, suffered a potential broken rib.

All nine Team Garmin-Transitions riders completed today’s stage, demonstrating courage and commitment to their team, the sport, and the Tour de France.

Eight riders will take the start tomorrow, with the exception of team leader Christian Vande Velde. This season, Christian suffered a broken collarbone at the Giro d’Italia, three broken ribs at the Tour du Suisse, and today, suffered two additional broken ribs and multiple contusions. The extent of all of these injuries combined will prevent him from starting Stage 3.

Following are quotes from team members and directors.

Jonathan Vaughters, CEO, Director Sportif
Clearly, this will mean a change in the general strategy for Team Garmin-Transitions. We will focus on the multitude of talented riders we have on this team. We’ll be looking for stage wins and ways to animate the race. I’m proud of the ride our team did today. Despite injury and conditions, they pushed through, and all nine finished the race. We’ve lost Christian, and we’re all sad about that. He’s had a tough season and has preserved and pushed himself like few other athletes could. Tomorrow is going to be painful for Tyler. He’s got significant injuries, so starting alone is a huge step, and from there we’ll have to see how he goes. But regardless, a good, strong team remains at this Tour and we’ll be a part of the action throughout.

Christian Vande Velde
I crashed once right before the Stockeu. Riders crashed in front of me and I wasn't able to avoid them, so I went down. We all knew it was important to be at the front over the climb and at that point, I felt ok and got back on and made it back to the front to get up Stockeu. Then another rider lost control in front of me and again, I couldn't avoid it. I crashed and landed in a ditch. I’m not sure what I hit; I think it might have been a pole. At that point my eye was bleeding pretty badly and the pain in my side and my back was excruciating. I got back on the bike though, and was coming back with Andy Schleck. I tried to stay with that group, but the pain was too much and I couldn’t get out of the saddle to make it back on.

No one wants to leave the Tour de France. I worked really hard to get myself ready to be here again and I was just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m indescribably disappointed to not be starting tomorrow. I wish everyone luck – my team and all the other riders at this Tour de France. I don’t ever want to have to see another day like today, whether I’m in the race or not.

Tyler Farrar
One minute I was riding down the descent and the next minute I was sliding. That was the first crash. I got back up and started descending again and I have no idea what happened; all of the sudden my front wheel was gone and I was on the ground again. That’s the one where I knew something was very wrong. I rode the last 30k with one hand. I laid my left hand on the handlebars but that’s all I could do. I have a fracture in my wrist and banged up my elbow pretty badly. No one wants to quit the Tour de France, so you’ll push yourself a lot more through the pain than you will in any other bike race in the world. I’m determined to start tomorrow and as of this moment, that’s the plan.

Julian Dean
Today was just one of those days where I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I tried to snake a trail through the falling riders around me but it was to no avail. I hit the road hard and could sense right away that I was not coming out of this one lightly.
Post stage examinations and x rays all come back with nothing overly serious. I am more than a little sore where I took the impact on my back but I think I’ll be ok. So goes the Tour de France. It’s back on the bike to do it all again tomorrow.

David Millar
Today was definitely in my top five worst days on a bike, ever, and that’s a big cull considering the length of my career. My first crash was a simple race incident where Christian, Julian and myself were well positioned at the front, but someone in front of us lost control before the Stockeu. This didn’t bother me, I just lost some skin on my left side, but it made me more diligent to be at the front at the Stockeu. Whitey kept reminding us to be at the front over the top to avoid crashes, and that’s where we were even after the chase of the previous crash. Within only 200 meters of cresting I could see Lance fall about 10 places in front of me on a straight road. When I saw that happen I knew something wasn’t right - and that was immediately followed by my wheels disappearing from under me and my sliding across the ground. As I came to a standstill, Christian passed and asked if I was all right, to which I replied yes and got right back on my bike. At this point there were guys everywhere on the ground all around me. Only 200 meters after getting back on my bike I was faced with a Cofidis rider losing control in front of me. There was nothing I could do and I hit him and somersaulted over my handlebars, landing heavily on my ribs in a ditch thinking this time, I wasn’t fine. I got up and fixed my bike myself, and then I tip toed down the descent surveying the absolute carnage that was the Tour de France peloton and wondering what was going on. By this point I had no idea where Christian or anyone else was and had to concentrate on getting back to the front of the race. I got back, finished and waited in the bus to hear about the rest of my teammates. I’m very proud of the fact that all of us finished considering the disparity of some of our injuries. It reflects why our team is what it is, and why I love it.

Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Girona, Spain – Team Garmin-Transitions today announced its much-anticipated 2010 Tour de France roster. The squad features three Americans including Christian Vande Velde, eighth overall in last year’s Tour de France and Tyler Farrar, who has claimed stages at two Grand Tours and with the help of Julian Dean, Robbie Hunter and David Millar will be looking to add a third to that list. Johan Van Summeren makes his Team Garmin-Transitions Tour debut, and David Zabriskie, Ryder Hesjedal and Martijin Maaskant are coming off strong seasons to support team leader, Vande Velde. The team will be directed by Garmin-Transitions' Director of Competition, Matthew White, along with Director Sportif, Lionel Marie.

The riders representing Team Garmin-Transitions at the 2010 Tour de France are:

Julian Dean (NZL)
Tyler Farrar (USA)
Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)
Robbie Hunter (SA)
Martijn Maaskant (NED)
David Millar (GB)
Johan Van Summeren (BEL)
Christian Vande Velde (USA)
David Zabriskie (USA)

“We are bringing a strong, versatile squad to the 2010 Tour de France,” said Jonathan Vaughters, Director Sportif, Team Garmin-Transitions. “We’re happy with our season so far and we believe we will be able to give our fans many more reasons to cheer. The team is motivated and ready and will be sure to animate what will be an incredibly competitive Tour de France.”

“With so many riders going so well all season, selecting the Tour team was difficult,” said White. “But we knew we needed a squad that could support Christian for the overall, Tyler in the sprint stages, and also be on the lookout for other opportunities. We’ve certainly found the right mix in this group and I have a lot of faith in these athletes.”

In an eight-day battle against the best field ever assembled to compete in the United States, which included Tour de France winners, Olympic medalists and World Champions, Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) claimed the Stage 8 win.

“Once I made it up to the remainder of the break, I knew I had a shot to win, so I focused and the team was awesome,” said Hesjedal. “To win on the last day against a field like this is a big highlight for me.”

The final stage of the 2010 edition of America’s largest cycling race consisted of four 21-mile circuits that took the riders through the communities of Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills, and included one challenging King of the Mountains (KOM) climb at about six miles in – Mulholland Hwy, or better known by local cyclists as the “Rock Store Climb” (Cat. 3/4 - 1,824 ft.).

Long regarded as one of the most scenic climbs in southern California, Mulholland Highway featured steep climbs and numerous switchbacks, which made it the perfect place for spectators, and they turned out in droves. A challenging finish to a difficult race, Stage 8 tested the cyclists until the final stretch to the finish line.

Beginning with a neutral start and a break that was soon caught, the peloton approached the first pass at the climb, which was swept by the Garmin-Transitions team with Hesjedal first, Tom Danielson second and Zabriskie third. As a new Los Angeles resident, Zabriskie utilizes the Rock Store climb as part of his standard training rides. Lined with fans, some of which had camped out to secure their spot to watch the cyclists compete in the final day of the race, “Rock Store” made the final stage of the race an extremely challenging course. As the riders passed the Malibu Family Winery, they began a twisting and technical descent on Westlake Blvd. headed back into Thousand Oaks.

Split at the end of the first lap, there were 28 riders in the front with 15 chasing behind, but as they neared the second pass at “Rock Store” the group joined together to form a pack about 45 riders strong. The next big break occurred on the climb and included Rabou, who took the KOM, Carlos Barredo (QuickStep), Yaroslav Popovych (Team RadioShack), Sebastian Langeveld (Rabobank), George Hincapie (BMC Racing Team), Oscar Pujol (Cervélo TestTeam), Jeremy Vennell (BISSELL) and Bradley White (UnitedHealthcare presented by Maxxis). With each circuit taking approximately 40 minutes, the break held for the next lap, and Rabou once again took the KOM heading into the final circuit of the race.

After some unsuccessful attempts to pull away from the lead group, Hincapie, Barredo and Pujol were able to get off the front and create a gap of about a minute. At the same time, pulling away from the chase group were Leipheimer, Rogers, Horner and Zabriskie, who were soon joined by Hesjedal. The remaining riders from the original break began to fall back to the main group, while Horner and Hesjedal went forward to join the break. Langeveld, the Rabobank rider who was in the original break, fell back to give race leader Rogers a bit of shelter as the attacks came and went. In an all out sprint to the finish, Hesjedal took the win to the cheers of enthusiastic fans lining the streets of Thousand Oaks.

Results - Stage 8
1. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Transitions
2. George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
3. Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Quick Step

After eight challenging and epic days of cycling that covered more than 800 miles of scenic California roads, and a thrilling fight to the finish at the conclusion of today’s final stage, Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) was crowned champion of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. With a week-long total time of 33 hours, 8 minutes and 30 seconds, Rogers took the highly coveted title of race champion in front of enormous cheering crowds in Thousand Oaks, home to title sponsor Amgen, besting his third place finish in the 2009 race.

“For our team the only race that’s more important than the Amgen Tour of California is the Tour de France,” said Rogers. “This is a huge result for us. We can really walk away from the Amgen Tour of California with smiles on our faces.”

David Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions_ finished in second place overall for the second consecutive year at 9 seconds behind Rogers, and three-time champion Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack) finished third at 25 seconds behind.

“The Amgen Tour of California finished on a spectacular high today,” said Leipheimer. “The stage was phenomenal, the crowds were Tour de France-esque and you could really feel the excitement. I don’t think we could ask for anything more for the last day of the Amgen Tour of California. In my opinion the Amgen Tour of California has grown exponentially quicker and bigger than any race in the history of cycling.”

Final General Classification
1. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC-Columbia
2. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Transitions
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack
4. Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack
5. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Transitions
6. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank
7. Rory Sutherland (Aus) Unitedhealthcare Presented by Maxxis
8. Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Doimo
9. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team Radioshack
10. Phil Zajicek (USA) Fly V Australia

Jersey Winners
Amgen Race Leader Jersey - Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC-Columbia
Herbalife Sprint Jersey - Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Doimo
California Travel and Tourism Commission King of the Mountains Jersey - Thomas Rabou (NED) Team Type 1
Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey - Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Doimo
Amgen's Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Jersey - Yaroslav Popovych (Team Radioshack)

Photo: Leonard Basobas/LB Photos

Santa Cruz, CA - What do you get when three world-class time trialists contest a sprint...one really long sprint.

After covering 182.3 km of scenic roadways along California's iconic Pacific Coast Highway 1, David Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions), Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) and three-time defending Amgen Tour of California champion, Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack) would round the final corner together to contest the Stage 3 finale along the Santa Cruz boardwalk. In the end, Zabriskie would win the drag race in a photo finish despite a superb bike throw by Rogers.

Flanked by the Pacific Ocean on one side and Redwood forests on the other, Stage 3 included three long, but moderate climbs on Tunitas Creek Rd., La Honda Rd. and Bonny Doon Rd. packed with local cycling fans, which was followed by lengthy and fast descents. The sprint to the finish followed W. Cliff Dr. along Monterey Bay to an exhilarating conclusion to Stage 3 at the world famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

As the morning fog burned off in San Francisco to reveal blue skies l day, the riders lined up at the start line on The Great Highway and got Stage 3 off to a great start. After a few failed breakaway attempts at the start of the stage, the peloton approached the first sprint in Pacifica, which was taken by Stage 1 winner Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), putting him in the lead in the points competition. The first hour of the stage was marked by little attacks, mainly from QuickStep and HTC-Columbia, but the riders weren’t able to get anything to stick.

The next sprint in Half Moon bay was taken by Tasmania's Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis), followed by Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing Team) and Cavendish. As the riders continued on from the sprint a five-man break formed, which included Andy Jacques-Maynes (BISSELL), Will Routley (CAN) of Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda, Eric Boily (CAN) of SpiderTech Powered by Planet Energy, Davide Frattini (ITA) of Team Type 1 and Ryan Anderson (CAN) of Kelly Benefit Strategies. With fans lining the street shoulder-to-shoulder on the lead up to the first King of the Mountains competition (KOM) on Tunitas Creek Road (Cat. 2 – 1,562 ft.), Frattini took the KOM win, followed by Anderson.

After going through the feed zone, the riders were quickly hit with another climb, Highway 84 (Cat. 3 – 1,427 ft.), which provided identical results to the first KOM – Frattini in first and Anderson is second. After a quick descent, the cyclists faced the third KOM of the day, Pescadero Rd. (Cat. 4 – 1,053 ft.), which, once again, saw Frattini take the KOM, followed by Anderson.

Team RadioShack, with assistance from the Cervélo TestTeam, drove the field for most of the day and eventually swallowed up the break en route to the final climb of the day. With the end of the race drawing near, several teams began to make their move and created a breakaway that consisted of three riders – Leipheimer, Rogers and Zabriskie.

With just under 20 miles to go on the route to Santa Cruz, the riders faced the largest climb of the day, Bonny Doon/Pine Flat Road (Cat. 2 – 2,135 ft.). After many unsuccessful attempts by several teams to pull the break back, Zabriskie took the stage win in an all out sprint to the finish before thousands of fans at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Results - Stage 3
1. David Zabriskie (GBr) HTC-Columbia
2. Michael Rogers (Arg) Team Saxo Bank
3. Levi Leipheimer (Nor) BMC Racing

With the victory in Santa Cruz, David Zabriskie pulled into the lead of the General Classification and received the most appropriate prize for his stage win on a beautiful, sunny California day. “I’ve been a runner up, but I’ve never won a stage here,” said Zabriskie. “I’ve never touched the Amgen Leader Jersey since the Amgen Tour of California started. Just to touch this jersey is quite an honor.”

General Classification - After Stage 3
1. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Transitions
2. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC-Columbia
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack
4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Doimo
5. Marc De Maar (Ned) Unitedhealthcare Presented by Maxxis
6. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Transitions
7. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team Radioshack
8. Rory Sutherland (Aus) Unitedhealthcare Presented by Maxxis
9. Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin-Transitions
10. Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin-Transitions

Jersey Leaders - After Stage 4
Amgen Race Leader Jersey - David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Transitions
Herbalife Sprint Jersey - Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Columbia
California Travel and Tourism Commission King of the Mountains Jersey - Thomas Rabou (NED) Team Type 1
Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey - Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Doimo
Amgen's Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Jersey - Will Routley (CAN) of Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda

Next: Stage 4 - San Jose to Modesto (177.2 km)

Photo: Leonard Basobas/LB Photos

It was a bit surprising not to seeTyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) race in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, but Garmin-Transitions Director Sportif, Jonathan Vaughters, and Farrar obviously had grander plans for his development.

The 25-year old American, who revealed himself as a more than legitimate sprinting threat at last year's Tour de France, took his second stage of the 93rd Giro d'Italia by powering past Liquigas-Doimo's Fabio Sabatini, among others, to the line in Bitonto.  Garmin-Transitions teammate, Julian Dean, who actually set up Farrar's winning move, finished in third.

"I have the strongest team in the world for leading me out, it makes it easier for winning. I'm confident in my guys," Farrar told Cyclingnews after his second stage win. "The last kilometer was very dangerous with curves and the road getting narrower. I had a good position for going out of the wheels at the last moment.

The Stage 10 win helped Farrar pad his lead in the maglia ciclamino competition. He now has a 7 point lead over BMC Racing's Cadel Evans.

Results - Stage 10
1. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Transitions
2. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
3. Julian Dean (NZl) Garmin - Transitions

The top ten in the General Classification remained unchanged with Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) retaining the maglia rosa for another day.

General Classification - After Stage 10
1. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana
2. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
4. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
5. Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team HTC - Columbia
6. Richie Porte (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
7. Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team Katusha
8. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone
9. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
10. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli

Jersey Leaders - After Stage 10
maglia rosa - Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana
maglia ciclamino - Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Transitions
maglia verde - Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Omega Pharma-Lotto
maglia bianca - Richie Porte (Aus) Team Saxo Bank

Next: Stage 11 - Lucera to L'Aquila (262 km)

Photo: Getty Images

With Gent-Wevelgem moving from its customary location, sandwiched between the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, and to the week prior to the Ronde, Scheldeprijs has become the new mid-week Classic.

Much like the man, George Hincapie, whom he was tabbed to succeed, Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) would be the first American to win the mid-week Classic; Hincapie taking Gent-Wevelgem in 2001. The 25-year-old from Wenatchee, Washington would out kick Australian Robbie McEwen (Team Katusha) and German Robert Forster (Team Milram) to the line.

Read More...

Results
1. Tyler Farrar (Garmin - Transitions)
2. Robbie McEwen (Team Katusha)
3. Robert Forster (Team Milram)

Photo: Garmin-Transitions

Men's teams announced for 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional road cycling race

Los Angeles – One of the strongest and most talented fields ever assembled for a U.S. cycling race has been invited to the upcoming 2010 Amgen Tour of California, AEG, owner and operator of the eight-day event, which is considered to be the most popular and important professional race held on U.S. soil, announced today. With the race’s move on the calendar to May, a compelling set of teams has been invited to the fifth-annual race.

The 16-team field will be comprised of a collection of the world’s best international professional cycling teams, along with a selection of top North American-based teams. The teams will be led by prominent UCI ProTour and Pro Continental teams, such as the three-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong’s team RadioShack; 2009’s No. 1-ranked Team HTC-Columbia, featuring sprint sensation Mark Cavendish; powerhouse Team Saxo Bank, featuring Tour of Flanders winner Fabian Cancellara and Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck; Liquigas-Doimo, an exceptionally promising young Italian team; Colorado-based Garmin-Transitions; and BMC Racing Team, featuring current U.S. Pro champion George Hincapie. The more than 800-mile, eight-day stage race, modeled after the Tour de France, will take the world’s top professional cycling teams from Nevada City to Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills from May 16-23.

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California roster includes the following 16 professional cycling teams:

· Bissell (USA)
· BMC Racing Team (USA)
· Cervélo TestTeam (SUI)
· Fly V Australia (AUS)
· Garmin-Transitions (USA)
· Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda (USA)
· Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
· Liquigas-Doimo (ITA)
· Quick Step (BEL)
· Rabobank (NED)
· Spidertech Powered by Planet Energy (CAN)
· Team HTC-Columbia (USA)
· Team RadioShack (USA)
· Team Saxo Bank (DEN)
· Team Type 1 (USA)
· UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis (USA)

“These teams, with the riders we expect to compete, represent the one of the strongest fields we have had at the Amgen Tour of California. Our move to May means that we will have Tour de France contenders in prime form racing here in the Golden State,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “We also are pleased to have a selection of top North American-based Continental teams, who will have a chance to compete with some of the world’s best riders.”

Split between teams who compete on the UCI ProTour and those who race predominately in the United States, the field of 128 athletes will be one of the most diverse, accomplished groups of cyclists ever assembled for a stage race in the United States.

“In a few short years the Amgen Tour of California has become America’s Grand Tour, one of our country’s premier sporting events, and a showcase for the demanding and dramatic California landscape,” said Bob Stapleton, owner of Team HTC-Columbia. “Team HTC-Columbia will contend for both the General Classification and stage wins with top riders Michael Rogers, Mark Cavendish and an exceptional supporting cast of athletes.”

Along with ProTour and Pro Continental teams, the domestic teams will be represented by return competitors Bissell, BMC Racing Team, Cervélo TestTeam, Fly V Australia, Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda, Kelly Benefit Strategies, Team Type 1, UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis, and new competitor, Canada’s Spidertech Powered by Planet Energy.

“The entire Fly V Australia team is looking forward to going head-to-head with the best teams and riders in the world in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California,” said Chris White, team director of Fly V Australia. “This is the biggest race of the year for our team and a great test for our riders.”

For more information about the teams competing in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, please visit official website.

Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin and David Zabriskie Extend Contracts with Top American Team

Boulder, CO – Slipstream Sports LLC and its chief venture, Team Garmin-Transitions, is once again poised for a big year. Coming off the 2009 Tour de France, where the team placed second overall with two riders in the top 10, along with three stage victories at the Vuelta and success at the Tour of Britain and the Sun Tour, the team has officially unveiled its 2010 roster. Team Garmin-Transitions features 10 Americans among a total of 27 riders from nine different countries. Christian Vande Velde, 8th overall in the 2009 Tour de France, David Zabriskie, U.S. Time Trial Champion and sprint sensation Tyler Farrar will return to the squad along with stars Dan Martin, Ryder Hesjedal and David Millar.

New additions include Jack Bobridge, Australia’s U23 Road Race and Time Trial Champion, Johan Van Summeren, two-time top ten finisher of Paris Roubaix, and expert lead-out man Robbie Hunter.

Vande Velde, Martin and Zabriskie have all renewed contracts with the team that will extend through 2012, 2012 and 2013, respectively.

“I’ve come an long way with Team Garmin-Transitions in a short time,” said Vande Velde. “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.”

“The progress we have made together in the past two seasons shows what a perfect environment Garmin-Transitions is for a young rider,” said Martin. “I’m really excited to have the chance to continue to improve, grow and have fun in what is the perfect team for me.”

“It’s a beautiful thing,” added Zabriskie. “To commit for four years myself, and to have the team commit to me is something really special.”

Complete 2010 Roster:
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
Michele Kreder, NED
Trent Lowe, AUS
Dan Martin, IRE
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

“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,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports management company. “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.”

Team Garmin-Transitions will compete in a full slate of international races throughout the spring and summer, kicking off with the Tour Down Under in January 2010.

After a brilliant 2009 Tour campaign, one which landed him in fourth overall at the end of three weeks, the speculation as to if and when Bradley Wiggins would depart for the newly formed British Team Sky began in earnest. And despite a sarcastic August denial of the rumored courtship through his Twitter account, "Cyclingnews love a good old stir, So there is a chance that I may go to Sky if he's available says Cyclingnews who seem to know everything," Wiggins and Team Sky have finally made it official. The three time Olympic and current British National Time Trial Champion has signed a four-year pact to head up the first year squad that seems hell bent on taking on the professional peloton at the biggest races in 2010.

"It has been an amazing year for me and my ride at the Tour has given me the drive to aim even higher. I know I can continue to develop and Team Sky is the perfect place to make that happen," said Wiggins.

As for his former team, which seemed to be taken somewhat off-guard with the announcement, they will ironically undergo a few transitions in 2010 and look to their 2008 Tour de France fourth placed finisher, Christian Vande Velde, for leadership in the Grand Boucle.

A disappointed Team Garmin-Transitions released the following statement this morning.

Bradley Wiggins will not be racing for Team Garmin-Transitions in 2010. Although we understand his strong desire to be a part of the UK’s first-ever Pro Tour team, we would have loved to continue with him through 2010. His departure is not the outcome we hoped for. That said, Team Garmin-Transitions has an incredible group of riders assembled for the season. As always, we have worked hard to build a team that will be competitive throughout the year. The team features Christian Vande Velde who was 8th overall in the 2009 Tour after significant injuries; including five broken vertebrae; sprint sensation Tyler Farrar, David Zabriskie, David Millar, Dan Martin and other outstanding athletes that we’re fortunate to work with. In addition to the great new talent we have signed including Johan Van Summeren and Jack Bobridge, we have renewed our partnership with Garmin and added Transitions and POM Wonderful to our family of sponsors. And we’ve expanded our sports science program to include some of the best sports scientists in the world. We will continue to give our fans many reasons to cheer in 2010 and we look forward to exciting racing in the months to come.

In any regard, Christmas seems to have arrived early in Britain this year (while the boys in Boulder try to clear the coal dust from their shoes). God Save the Queen!

MORE:
Sky Sports - Wiggins signs for Team Sky
CNN International - Wiggins joins new British cycling team

Transitions Optical, world’s leading manufacturer of adaptive eyewear, Partners with Leading Pro Tour Team Garmin – Slipstream

Press Release

Neuilly-sur-Seine - Team Garmin-Slipstream, the elite American professional cycling team dedicated to ethical sporting and developing the next generation of cycling champions, announced today that it will become Team Garmin-Transitions with the addition of Transitions Optical as a new sponsor of the team. Transitions Optical is world’s leading manufacturer of adaptive eyewear, offering the most advanced photochromic technology in the widest selection of spectacle lenses such as Transitions lenses as well as Transitions SOLFX® sun wear. From the mountains of the Grand Tours to the cobbles of the Classics, Team Garmin-Transitions athletes will wear Transitions® lenses as they race and train around the globe in various lighting conditions.

“The riders of this team have set the standard for ethical competition while racing and training with the best technology available,” said Brett Craig, President of Transitions Optical. “As we looked to replicate the success of our PGA relationship in North America with a similar relationship in Europe; cycling, and specifically Team Garmin, was the perfect fit for our organization. We share similar goals rooted in innovation and ethics and we are proud to join this elite squad as it continues to build on past success.”

Transitions® technology is ideally suited to the sport of cycling. The athletes of Team Garmin-Transitions are competing over hundreds of kilometers per day and continuously going through different lighting conditions. Training and racing with Transitions® lenses provides the team a true technological advantage that will increase visually acuity, reduce visual fatigue and have a profound effect on riders’ response times during decisive moments of racing.

“Our riders are constantly going through different lighting conditions while training and racing. If we can increase visual acuity and reduce visual fatigue, that gives us a big advantage on the road,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports, the sports management company that owns the team. “Like the team, Transitions is driven by innovation and a commitment to excellence. We are thrilled to work with them.”

As part of the sponsorship, Transitions will launch a major European marketing campaign featuring the team. According to Lindsay Brown, General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Transitions, “In the team, we have found a true partner that can help us deliver our brand message to millions of our partners and consumers in a meaningful, impactful way. We are excited to kick off this relationship and look forward to working with the riders and staff for years to come.”

Owned and managed by Slipstream Sports, Team Garmin-Transitions is dedicated to promoting ethical sporting and developing the next generation of cycling champions. In 2007, Slipstream created the most progressive anti-doping system in the professional sports world and now works with Anti-Doping Research, Inc. (ADR) and ADSI (the Anti-Doping Sciences Institute) to continue its anti-doping mission.

“From a business standpoint, working with Transitions is a perfect fit,” said Matt Johnson, President of Slipstream Sports. “The sponsorship provides Transitions an opportunity to showcase their products to customers, globally.”

For more information on Team Garmin-Transitions, visit the team's website.