Its finally here! The Tour de France kicks off tomorrow in the Netherlands, and in this final installment of A Rookie’s Guide to the Tour de France, we will take a look at all 198 riders and 22 teams who will be taking the start. As has been mentioned before, the riders will participate in 9 man teams, and I am going to run through the teams one by one until we have covered each.
I will break it down in order of bib numbers, starting with the number 1, being worn by reigning champ Vincenzo Nibali. We will go team, focusing on what each team will try to accomplish and highlighting riders to watch. Before we get started, I wanted to give a shout out to procyclingstats.com, whose start list I am using for this piece (you can find it here).
1. NIBALI Vincenzo
2. BOOM Lars
3. FUGLSANG Jakob
4. GRIVKO Andriy
5. GRUZDEV Dmitriy
6. KANGERT Tanel
7. SCARPONI Michele
8. TAARAMäE Rein
9. WESTRA Lieuwe
Astana will be all in for the yellow jersey with Vincenzo Nibali. The boys in blue bring a strong group for the mountains, with Jakob Fuglsang, Tanel Kangert, Michele Scarponi, and Rein Taaramae all capable mountain lieutenants for Nibali. Lars Boom leads a group of roulers that should be able to protect their man on the flats, as well as through the cobbles on stage 4. The one hole in this squad may be who is going to be Nibali’s main mountain teammate, as none of the climbers on the team are elite, although all are good. Look for Astana jerseys to be at the front early and often as long as Nibali is in contention for yellow.
11. PERAUD Jean-Christophe
12. BAKELANTS Jan
13. BARDET Romain
14. CHEREL Mikael
15. GASTAUER Ben
16. GAUDIN Damien
17. RIBLON Christophe
18. VANSUMMEREN Johan
19. VUILLERMOZ Alexis
AG2R is one of the tour’s best climbing teams, and it boasts overall hopefuls Romain Bardet and Jean Christophe Peraud. Both of these riders are searching for top 10 GC positions, and Peraud was on the podium a year ago. Make no doubt about it, AG2R is at home in the mountains, with plenty of climbers including former stage winner on L’Alpe d’Huez Christophe Riblon in their stable. Johan Vansummeren is a former winner of Paris-Roubaix and will be essential to guiding Bardet and Peraud over the cobbles in stage 4. Look for AG2R to animate the race this year, with plenty of attacks throuought the three weeks as well as strong emphasis on the battle for yellow.
21. PINOT Thibaut
22. BONNET William
23. CHAVANEL Sébastien
24. DéMARE Arnaud
25. GENIEZ Alexandre
26. LADAGNOUS Matthieu
27. MORABITO Steve
28. ROY Jérémy
29. VAUGRENARD Benoit
FDJ is another French squad that has become synonymous with the Tour, and this year they will bring eight Frenchmen to the start line. Thibaut Pinot is a top tier climber and a candidate for overall victory, so FDJ will do whatever it can to help him. The team also brings sprinter Arnaud Demare to the race, although he is probably not quick enough to factor in the bunch finishes. Look for Jeremy Roy and Steve Morabito to be on the attack whenever they get a free role for a day, as well as many other FDJ riders. All in all, this team boasts a top overall favorite but will also try to attack and make breakaways when possible. FDJ is not as strong as most of the other favorite’s squads, so they most likely will not control the race much, freeing up riders for attacks.
31. FROOME Christopher
32. KENNAUGH Peter
33. KöNIG Leopold
34. POELS Wout
35. PORTE Richie
36. ROCHE Nicolas
37. ROWE Luke
38. STANNARD Ian
39. THOMAS Geraint
The British team Sky are one of the powerhouse teams in professional cycling, and they are looking for a rebound from a disappointing 2014 Tour de France. After winning the yellow jersey in 2012 and 2013, no Sky rider factored in at all last year. This year, Sky will be back with betting favorite Chris Froome for the yellow jersey and a strong team built around him. Richie Porte is an ace teammate for the mountains, and he will be by Froome’s side for most of the race. Add in elite climbers Leopold Konig (7th a year ago) and Nicolas Roche (12th in 2012), both of whom were signed in the offseason, and you have the makings of a formidable team in the high mountains. Geraint Thomas, Luke Rowe, and Ian Stannard are all tremendous roulers who will keep Froome safe on the flats. The team is rounded out by good climbers Wout Poels and British champion Peter Kennaugh. Sky is probably the strongest team in this year’s race, and the black “Sky train” will undoubtedly be at the front of the peloton for plenty of the race.
41. CONTADOR Alberto
42. BASSO Ivan
43. BENNATI Daniele
44. KREUZIGER Roman
45. MAJKA Rafał
46. ROGERS Michael
47. SAGAN Peter
48. TOSATTO Matteo
49. VALGREN Michael
Tinkoff-Saxo are all in for the overall with Alberto Contador, and bring a strong team to the race in support of him. Michael Rogers, Ivan Basso, Roman Kreuziger, and Rafal Majka are all good climbers and will be able to ensure Contador is not isolated on the climbs. Additionally, the team brings roulers like Daniele Bennati, Michael Valgren, and Matteo Tosatto to protect Contador on the flats. Finally, Peter Sagan will be a bit of a free element on the team, as he seeks out his fourth consecutive green jersey.
51. QUINTANA Nairo
52. ANACONA Winner
53. CASTROVIEJO Jonathan
54. DOWSETT Alex
55. ERVITI Imanol
56. HERRADA José
57. IZAGIRRE Gorka
58. MALORI Adriano
59. VALVERDE Alejandro
Movistar bring Nairo Quintana to the race as an overall favorite, and he is their main focus for July. Alejandro Valverde is an exceptional teammate for Quintana, although it remains to be seen if he will help Quintana or seek his own ambitions in the Tour. The team should be very competitive in the team time trial on stage 9, with big engines Adriano Malori, Alex Dowsett, and Jonathan Castroviejo powering the team. Additionally, Jose Herrafa, Gorka Izagirre, and Winner Anacona are good climbers. Movistar is a strong team which is certainly capable of holding its own on the flats and in the mountains, and if Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana work together, they will be hard to counter in the mountains.
61. VAN GARDEREN Tejay
62. CARUSO Damiano
63. DENNIS Rohan
64. OSS Daniel
65. QUINZIATO Manuel
66. SáNCHEZ Samuel
67. SCHAR Michael
68. VAN AVERMAET Greg
69. WYSS Danilo
Another team with an overall favorite, BMC will be supporting Tejay Van Garderen’s bid for the overall. The team may struggle a bit in the mountains, with Samuel Sanchez serving as Van Garderen’s top climber, but they should make up for it with strength in the team time trial and on the flats. Lookout for Rohan Dennis in the opening time trial and should something happen to Tejay for the overall. Additionally, Greg Van Avermaet is a strong rider who may look to make something happen on the cobbles or on short uphill finishes. BMC is a strong team, although they may struggle to help Van Garderen in the mountains where he will need it the most.
71. GALLOPIN Tony
72. BAK Lars Ytting
73. DE GENDT Thomas
74. DEBUSSCHERE Jens
75. GREIPEL André
76. HANSEN Adam
77. HENDERSON Gregory
78. SIEBERG Marcel
79. WELLENS Tim
Lotto Soudal come to this year’s Tour with a different focus as a team, no longer backing Jurgen Van den Broeck for the overall. Instead, the team will try to poach stages and set up sprints for Andre Greipel, who has won at least one stage in every Grand Tour he has ridden since 2008. Greipel will be led out by Greg Henderson, who is one of the finest lead out men in the peloton. Additionally, Tim Wellens, Adam Hansen, Thomas De Gendt, and Tony Gallopin are all great wild card picks to take a stage out of a breakaway. This team should be fun to watch at this year’s Tour as they seek stage wins.
81. DEGENKOLB John
82. BARGUIL Warren
83. CURVERS Roy
84. DE KORT Koen
85. DUMOULIN Tom
86. GESCHKE Simon
87. PREIDLER Georg
88. SINKELDAM Ramon
89. TIMMER Albert
Giant-Alpecin have been devoted to serving top sprinter Marcel Kittel at the last two Tours de France, but with no Kittel this year, plans have changed. Instead, John Degenkolb will be top dog for the team as he looks for stage wins and a possible green jersey. Also keep an eye on youngster Warren Barguil as he participates in his first Tour. Barguil is a talented climber who may be able to take a stage win or the polka dot jersey if the opportunity arises. This team is built for the flats, and there are plenty of riders capable of taking a stage from a breakaway as well.
91. RODRíGUEZ Joaquim
92. CARUSO Giampaolo
93. GUARNIERI Jacopo
94. HALLER Marco
95. KOZONTCHUK Dmitry
96. KRISTOFF Alexander
97. LOSADA Alberto
98. MACHADO Tiago
99. PAOLINI Luca
Although Joaquim Rodriguez is probably not going to figure in the overall this year, he still wears the 1 on his back as the denoted team leader. Rodriguez should be all over the place in the mountains this year, but stage wins or the KOM competition may be more realistic goals than overall victory. The real star of this team is sprinter Alexander Kristoff, who has been dominant in 2015. Kristoff will target stage wins and the green jersey, and he is a great pick to claim both in the Tour. Other riders to watch include climber Tiago Machado and strongman Luca Paolini who should be an invaluable aid to Kristoff.
101. GERRANS Simon
102. ALBASINI Michael
103. DURBRIDGE Luke
104. IMPEY Daryl
105. MATTHEWS Michael
106. TUFT Svein
107. WEENING Pieter
108. YATES Adam
109. YATES Simon
Orica GreenEDGE has been a fun team in the tour for a few years now, and this year should be no different. Known for shooting to claim leaders jerseys inside the first week, Orica will take a stab at any prize that presents itself to them. Look for Orica riders to factor in plenty of breakaways and stage finishes, even if they are not the favorites. Riders like Simon Gerrans, Michael Albasini, and Pieter Weening have made a living off of snatching wins from faster sprinters or better climbers. Michael Matthews may be the best rider on this team, and he will look to challenge for the green jersey. Matthews is a strong sprinter in the mold of Peter Sagan, who will have strong team support should he be in contention for green. Finally, the Yates brothers will look to claim stage wins in the more mountainous routes, although neither will ride for GC.
111. KWIATKOWSKI Michal
112. CAVENDISH Mark
113. GOLAS Michal
114. MARTIN Tony
115. RENSHAW Mark
116. ŠTYBAR Zdeněk
117. TRENTIN Matteo
118. URAN Rigoberto
119. VERMOTE Julien
Etixx – Quick Step will look to lay claim to any and all stages in this year’s race although they have stated they will not shoot for the overall classification. One of the most talented teams in the bunch, Etixx – Quick Step expects nothing less than a handful of stage wins. The leader of the team will be Mark Cavendish who will have a dedicated train for the bunch sprints, finished by ace lead out man Mark Renshaw. Elsewhere, Tony Martin is always the favorite for time trials, and world champion Michal Kwiatkowski is a great rider for uphill finishes. Finally, Zdenek Stybar is a tremendous cobblestone rider and will target stage 4, while Rigoberto Uran is a great climber and will look for mountain stages to nab a stage win or two. Look for Etixx – Quick Step to be active on every stage finish and to ride at the front of the peloton at all times.
121. ROLLAND Pierre
122. COQUARD Bryan
123. GAUTIER Cyril
124. GENE Yohann
125. NAULEAU Bryan
126. QUEMENEUR Perrig
127. SICARD Romain
128. TULIK Angelo
129. VOECKLER Thomas
Europcar are a true French team for the Tour, as evidenced by their selection of 9 Frenchmen for their squad. This is a team that will look for stage results, although it is not one of the stronger teams in the race. Pierre Rolland will be active in the mountains and the aging Thomas Voeckler may give it a go as well. Bryan Coquard was third in the green jersey competition last year and he will be going for green again in 2015. Other than those three, the rest of the team will be content to join breakaways and hope for a miracle stage victory.
131. KELDERMAN Wilco
132. GESINK Robert
133. KRUIJSWIJK Steven
134. LEEZER Tom
135. MARTENS Paul
136. TANKINK Bram
137. TEN DAM Laurens
138. VAN EMDEN Jos
139. VANMARCKE Sep
LottoNL-Jumbo is a bit of an unknown team, and they will be looking for any result in July. Wilco Kelderman is a promising GC candidate and Laurens Ten Dam has been in the top 10 before, although neither is a strong favorite for the overall. Additionally Robert Gesink and Steven Keuijzwijk could make some noise in the mountains. Finally, Sep Vanmarcke is a great cobblestone rider and may be able to achieve a result on stage 4. LottoNL-Jumbo should be exciting in July and will be looking to make an impact on the race in any way they can.
141. MOLLEMA Bauke
142. ARREDONDO Julián David
143. CANCELLARA Fabian
144. DEVOLDER Stijn
145. DIDIER Laurent
146. IRIZAR Markel
147. JUNGELS Bob
148. RAST Gregory
149. ZUBELDIA Haimar
Trek Factory Racing was a team put together a year ago with the hopes of an overall victory for one of the two Schleck brothers, but that goal has vanished in the last 18 months. Now, neither will take the start and the team will be looking for anything it can get come July. Bauke Mollema is a good leader and will shoot for a top 5 on GC, although that may be unrealistic with this years stacked field. By his side he will have Julian Arredondo who is a tremendous climber with the ability to challenge for stages or the KOM competition should Mollema’s GC hopes falter. Fabian Cancellara is one of the strongest riders in the peloton and will look for stage wins on stages 1 and 4 as well as a yellow jersey in the opening week. Haimar Zubeldia has been in the top 10 in the Tour de France on 5 separate occasions and should be a strong teammate for Mollema. Finally, youngster Bob Jungels has a wide array of talents and should be in the hunt to claim a stage victory at some point in the race. Look for Trek Factory Racing to animate the race with plenty of attacks as well as target the overall GC with Bauke Mollema.
151. COSTA Rui
152. BONO Matteo
153. CIMOLAI Davide
154. DURASEK Kristijan
155. OLIVEIRA Nelson
156. PLAZA Rubén
157. POZZATO Filippo
158. SERPA Jose Rodolfo
159. VALLS Rafael
Lampre-Merida are hard to miss with their pink fluorescent jerseys but they have been largely anonymous at the Tour for a few years now. Rui Costa will make a run at the overall standings, but he has yet to put together a good showing in a grand tour, at least in the overall standings. The only other rider of note is Jose Serpa, who is a climber with the ability to nab a stage in the mountains.
161. TALANSKY Andrew
162. BAUER Jack
163. HAAS Nathan
164. HESJEDAL Ryder
165. KOREN Kristijan
166. LANGEVELD Sebastian
167. MARTIN Daniel
168. NAVARDAUSKAS Ramunas
169. VAN BAARLE Dylan
Cannndale-Garmin is always an exciting team, and this year should be no different. They bring Andrew Talansky as a GC candidate, and he should be in the hunt for a top 10, or possibly top 5, result. Additionally, talented climbers Dan Martin and Ryder Hesjedal should be in the hunt for stage wins or possible GC results depending on how the race plays out. Any rider on this team could surprise an attack and stage win at any time, and that makes them one of the most well liked and exciting teams in the race.
171. BOUHANNI Nacer
172. EDET Nicolas
173. LAPORTE Christophe
174. MATé Luis Ángel
175. NAVARRO Daniel
176. SENECHAL Florian
177. SIMON Julien
178. SOUPE Geoffrey
179. VANBILSEN Kenneth
Cofidis is a team that has become a part of the Tour and will always be on the attack and in breakaways. This year they will support Nacer Bouhanni for the sprints, and he has shown good speed in sprints in 2015. Daniel Navarro is a good climber as is Louis Angel Mate, and both should be on target in the mountains. Look for Cofidis to set up Bouhanni to sprint as well as make breakaways frequently during the tour.
181. FRANK Mathias
182. BRäNDLE Matthias
183. CHAVANEL Sylvain
184. CLEMENT Stef
185. COPPEL Jérome
186. ELMIGER Martin
187. HOLLENSTEIN Reto
188. PANTANO Jarlinson
189. WYSS Marcel
IAM cycling is a good team who bring talented climber Mathias Frank to try and make some noise in the mountains. Additionally, the team brings fan favorite Sylvain Chavanel, who is always a threat for a stage win. There are other riders on this team who can create some excitement as well such as Jerome Coppel and Martin Elminger. Look for IAM in breakaways or trying to claim a stage win.
191. BUCHMANN Emanuel
192. BáRTA Jan
193. BENNETT Sam
194. DEMPSTER Zakkari
195. HUZARSKI Bartosz
196. MENDES José
197. NERZ Dominik
198. SCHILLINGER Andreas
199. VOSS Paul
Bora – Argon 18 is a unknown team who enter the race with little fanfare. A weak team, there are not many riders capable of claiming a result, so a stage win is the ultimate goal and simply being present in breakaways is the main objective. If any riders on this team are capable, look at Dominik Nertz, Emanuel Buchmann, or Jan Barta to be active in the race.
Bretagne – Séché Environnement
201. SEPúLVEDA Eduardo
202. BRUN Frederic
203. DELAPLACE Anthony
204. FEDRIGO Pierrick
205. FEILLU Brice
206. FONSECA Armindo
207. GERARD Arnaud
208. PERICHON Pierre-Luc
209. VACHON Florian
Another weak team, Bretagne – Seche Environement is probably only at this race because they are French. Perrick Fedrigo is an attacking rider who may try and make a few breaks and Brice Feillu is a decent climber. Look for this team to try and make some breakaways to get TV time for the sponsors, but they will probably not factor in the race much if at all.
211. TEKLEHAIMANOT Daniel
212. BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
213. CUMMINGS Stephen
214. FARRAR Tyler
215. JANSE VAN RENSBURG Jacques
216. JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt
217. KUDUS Merhawi
218. MEINTJES Louis
219. PAUWELS Serge
MTN – Qhubeka is the first African team ever to participate in the Tour de France, and they have high hopes for 2015. The team contains former stage winners Edvald Boasson Hagen and Tyler Farrar who will look to achieve results in the bunch finishes. Additionally, plenty other riders on this team are capable of winning from breakaways and the team should be active throuought. I would not be surprised to see a lot of the white and black stripes on television during this year’s race.
There you have it, a breakdown of every team in this year’s Tour de France and the end of our Rookie’s Guide to the Tour de France. I hope you follow and enjoy the race this year!
Other Parts of The Series:
Part 1 – Introduction – Click Here
Part 2 – Races within the Race – Click Here
Part 3 – Basic Bike Race Strategy – Click Here
Part 4 – Types of Stage – Click Here
Part 5 – Types of Rider – Click Here
Part 6 – Yellow Jersey Breakdown – Click Here
Part 7 – Green Jersey Breakdown – Click Here
Part 8 – White Jersey Breakdown – Click Here
Part 9 – Expect the Unexpected – Click Here
Part 10 – Polka Dot Jersey Breakdown – Click Here
Part 11 – Where to Follow the Race – Click Here
Part 12 – How to Watch the Race – Click Here
The 5th Quarter 
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