May 05, 2015 (Big Bear Lake, CA) – On May 10 outside the State Capitol building in Sacramento, 144 cyclists from 18 elite professional teams will line up to begin eight days of fierce competition in the 2015 Amgen Tour of California. Only one among the field of world, national and Olympic champions will be crowned the victor at the race’s conclusion in Pasadena May 17 – full roster below.

Celebrating its 10th year, the Amgen Tour of California is the most esteemed stage race in the U.S. and one of the most important on the international cycling calendar. The field features some of the most decorated sprinters in the world: Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar, Matthew Goss and Peter Sagan, who holds the all-time Amgen Tour of California stage win record with 11, to name a few. And rounding out the general classification are powerhouse riders like Robert Gesink and Laurens ten Dam, alongside promising young riders like Warren Barguil, winner of two stages in the Vuelta a Espana and Lawson Craddock, who took the Best Young Rider prize at the past two Amgen Tour of California races.

With the cyclists preparing to face off across 724 California miles from May 10-17, some of the favorites in various categories include:

General Classification (Overall Contenders)
– Andrew Talansky (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin
– Ian Boswell (USA), Team Sky
– Janez Brajkovic (SLO), UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
– Joe Dombrowski (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin
– Joey Rosskopf (USA), BMC Racing Team
– Laurens ten Dam (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo
– Lawson Craddock (USA), Team Giant-Alpecin
– Martin Kohler (SUI), Drapac Professional Cycling
– Matthew Busche (USA), Trek Factory Racing
– Peter Kennaugh (GBR), Team Sky
– Phil Gaimon (USA), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
– Robert Gesink (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo
– Sergio Henao (COL), Team Sky
– Warren Barguil (FRA), Team Giant-Alpecin

Sprinters
– Ben Swift (GBR), Team Sky
– Danny Van Poppel (NED), Trek Factory Racing
– Gerald Ciolek (GER), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung
– Graeme Brown (AUS), Drapac Professional Cycling
– Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (ESP), Trek Factory Racing
– Sebastian Haedo (ARG), Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home
– Marcel Kittel (GER), Team Giant-Alpecin
– Mark Cavendish (GBR), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team
– Mark Renshaw (AUS), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team
– Matthew Goss (AUS), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung
– Peter Sagan (SVK), Tinkoff-Saxo
– Theo Bos (NED), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung
– Tyler Magner (USA), Hincapie Racing Team
– Tyler Farrar (USA), MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung
– Eric Marcotte (USA), Team Smartstop

Climbers
– Carter Jones (USA), Team Giant-Alpecin
– Joseph Rosskopf (USA), BMC Racing Team
– Lachlan Norris (AUS), Drapac Professional Cycling
– Robert Gesink (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo
– Laurens ten Dam (NED), Team LottoNL-Jumbo
– Joe Dombrowski (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin
– Phil Gaimon (USA), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
– Robin Carpenter (USA), Hincapie Racing Team
– Sergio Henao (COL), Team Sky
– Will Routley (CAN), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies

 Stage Wins (One Day Specialists)
– Alex Howes (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin
– Bernhard Eisel (AUT), Team Sky
– Julian Alaphillipe (FRA), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team
– Jure Kocjan (SLO), Team SmartStop
– Mark Cavendish (GBR), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team
– Matti Breschel (DEN), Tinkoff-Saxo
– Daniele Bennati (ITA), Tinkoff-Saxo
– Peter Sagan (SVK), Tinkoff-Saxo
– Daniel Oss (ITA), BMC Racing Team
– Sep Vanmarcke (BEL), Team LottoNL-Jumbo
– Stijn Devolder (BEL), Trek Factory Racing
– Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team
– Matteo Trentin (ITA), Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team

Individual Time Trialists
– Andrew Talansky (USA), Team Cannondale-Garmin
– Lawson Craddock (USA), Team Giant-Alpecin
– Maciej Bodnar (POL), Tinkoff-Saxo
– Peter Kennaugh (GBR), Team Sky
– Tom Zirbel (USA), Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
– Campbell Flakemore (AUS), BMC Racing Team

“The tenth Amgen Tour of California will be a place to watch the best in the world right alongside the up-and-coming next generation of cycling stars,” said Kristin Bachochin Klein, executive director of the Amgen Tour of California and senior vice president of AEG Sports. “As always, fans will be able to get up close to the action and to the athletes out on the race course, as well as every morning as they arrive to the start line. That’s something really special about this race and cycling culture – how accessible the best in the sport are to their fans.”

Fans can cheer on these world-class athletes on the race course, via live daily broadcasts on NBC Sports Network and NBC (final Sunday), or from anywhere with the free Amgen Tour of California app for tablets and mobile devices, which features live race updates, rider background and full race results. More information on ways to watch is available here.

For further information about the Amgen Tour of California and to experience the race like never before with VIP Access, please visit here.

Amgen Tour of California Men’s Full Rosters here.