August 21, 2013 (Edmonton, AB) – The 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans of BMC Racing Team, the current world’s No. 2-ranked rider Peter Sagan of Cannondale Pro Cycling, and 2012 Tour of Italy winner and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal of Team Garmin-Sharp, headline a star-studded field for the inaugural Tour of Alberta, September 3-8, organizers announced today.
“We’re elated to announce the participation of some of the world’s top cyclists, which confirms our intentions of making this a great field in the inaugural year of the Tour,” said Executive Director Duane Vienneau. “To have a former Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, one of the most prolific winners today in professional cycling in Peter Sagan, and Canadian cycling hero and a Tour of Italy champion Ryder Hesjedal in the same race is amazing, and will make for a spectacular experience for everyone involved.”
The official rosters of the 15 professional cycling teams participating in the Tour are included below. Sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s governing body with a 2.1 ranking, the Tour of Alberta is one of the highest level pro cycling events in Canada and North America.
Joining Hesjedal on Team Garmin-Sharp is 2012 USA Pro Challenge winner Christian Vande Velde of the United States, three-time Tour de France stage winner David Millar of Great Britain, seven-time U.S. National Champion in the time trial David Zabriskie, and Lachlan Morton of Australia, who won stage 3 in the 2013 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.
Australia’s top team Orica-GreenEDGE will feature Peter Weening of the Netherlands, the recent winner of the Tour of Poland and a stage winner in both Tours of Italy and France; and Cam Meyer, a stage winner at this year’s Tour of Switzerland and Tour de France (team time trial).
Joining Evans on BMC Racing is Brent Bookwalter, who finished second overall in both U.S. Road Race and Time Trial National Championships this year; and Marcus Burghardt, a former Tour de France stage winner and winner of the Ghent-Wevelgem classic in Belgium.
Joining Sagan will be current Danish national time trial champion Brian Vandborg and rising star Damiano Caruso, while Team Argos-Shimano will highlight Patrick Gretsch, a former Stage winner of the USA Pro Challenge and second in this year’s German national time trial championships.
Belkin-Pro Cycling Team, the Netherland’s top professional team, will be led by Dutchman Robert Gesink, the 2012 Tour of California champion and winner of the 2010 Gran Prix Montreal World Cup race, and Jack Bobridge the 2011 Australian road race champion and Olympic silver medalist at the London Olympic Games on the track, and Tom-Jelte Slagter, the 2013 champion of Australia’s top race, Tour Down Under.
“We’ve certainly attracted a top-notch field for the first Tour of Alberta,” said Jim Birrell, Tour of Alberta race director and managing partner at Medalist Sports, the technical partner for the event. “The people of Alberta, and all of Canada, will be able to see Tour de France and Olympic heroes as well as many former and current national champions of their countries.”
Among the other top riders announced are current Canadian National Champion Zach Bell, 2012 Canadian National Champion Ryan Roth, both of Champion System; current U.S. National Champion Fred Rodriguez; former Tour of Utah stage winner Jacob Keough of UnitedHealthcare team; Edmonton native Ryan Anderson and current U.S. time trial champion Tom Zirbel, both of Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies; Will Routley of the Canadian National Team; and Spaniard Francisco Mancebo, a former Tour of Utah winner and top 10 Tour de France finisher, riding for 5 Hour Energy p/b Kenda Racing Team.
The race will feature more than 20 professional cyclists from Canada and athletes from more than 20 countries.
“We are committed to building Canadian cycling through this event,” said Brian Jolly, the Tour of Alberta chairman. “This event is not only great for Alberta but all of Canada. We are introducing a world-class event to Canada with a world-class field. We’re on the right track for success.”
The rosters are as follows:
UCI Pro Teams:
BMC Racing Team (USA)
Cadel Evans
Brent Bookwalter
Marcus Burghardt
Amael Moinard
Steve Morabito
Lawrence Warbasse
Silvan Dillier
Jakub Novak
Team Garmin-Sharp (USA)
Ryder Hesjedal
Thomas Dekker
Rohan Dennis
David Millar
Lachlan David Morton
Fabian Wegemann
David Zabriskie
Christian Vande Velde
Orica GreenEDGE (AUS)
Pieter Weening
Cam Meyer
Jens Keukilere
Aidis Kroupis
Fummi Beppu
Tomas Vaitkus
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Jiyong Kang
Cannondale Pro Cycling (ITA)
Peter Sagan
Damiano Caruso
Edward King
Michel Koch
Nariyuki Masuda
Brian Vandborg
Team Argos-Shimano (NED)
Patrick Grestsch
Jonas Ahlastrand
Thomas Damuseau
Simon Geschke
Koen De Kort
Tobias Ludvigsson
Luka Mezgec
Michael Olsson
Belkin-Pro Cycling Team (NED)
Robert Gesink
Jack Bobridge
Jetse Bol
Marc Goos
Moreno Hofland
Steven Kruijswijk
Tom Jelte Slagter
Dennis Van Winden
UCI Professional Continental Teams:
Champion System Pro Cycling Team (CHN)
Zachary Bell
Ryan Roth
Clinton Avery
Chad Beyer
Chris Butler
Matthias Friedemann
Craig Lewis
Fu Shiu Chueng
United Pro Health Care Cycling Team (USA)
Benjamin Day
Robert Forster
Davide Frattini
Aldo Ilesic
Christopher Jones
Luke Keough
Jeffrey Louder
John Murphy
UCI Continental Teams:
Bissell Pro Cycling (USA)
Jason McCartney
Jeremy Vennell
Carter Jones
Frank Kevin Pipp
Andrew Dahleim
Tommy Nankervis
Nicholai Brochner
Kirk Carlsen
Equipe Garneau-Quebecor (CAN)
Bruno Langlois
Michael Woods
Adam Farabaugh
Pierrick Naud
Simon-Pierre Gauthier
Michael Chauner
Alexander Cataford
Geoffroy Dussault
Jelly Belly p/b Kenda (USA)
Charles Huff
Benjamin Wolfe
Sean Mazich
Emerson Oronte
Fred Rodriguez
Jeremy Powers
Serghei Tvetcov
Nic Hamilton
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
Ryan Anderson
Michael Friedman
Chad Haga
Ken Hanson
Thomas Soladay
Eric Young
Tom Zirbel
Team SmartStop p/b Mountain Khakis (USA)
Eric Marcotte
Kristofer Dahl
Travis McCabe
Benjamin Chaddock
Flavio De Luna
Clay Murfet
Shane Kline
Bobby Lea
5 Hour Energy p/b Kenda Racing Team (USA)
Francisco Mancebo Perez
Robert Sweeting
Taylor Shelden
David Williams
Max Jenkins
James Stemper
Andres Diaz
Shawn Milne
Canadian National Team (CAN)
Hugo Houle
Will Routley
Rob Britton
Antoine Duchesne
Stuart Wight
Ryan Aitcheson
Jean-Sebastien Perron
Garrett McLeod
About the Tour of Alberta
The Tour of Alberta: Canada’s Pro-Cycling Festival is a six-day stage race scheduled to be held September 3 to 8, 2013. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s governing body, awarded the inaugural Tour of Alberta with a 2.1 sanctioning in September 2012, making it one of the highest level pro cycling events in Canada, and one of the highest level events in North America. An annual event beginning in 2013, the event will be broadcast live daily in Canada on Sportsnet, and broadcast internationally on various networks, as it is expected that the event will host riders from over 20 countries around the world.