Cantwell off to the Tour de France

Team owner Bjarne Riis and the sports management of Team Saxo Bank have named the nine riders who will represent the Danish based World Tour team in this year's Tour de France, including the Australian sprinter, Jon Cantwell.

The line up is:

- Juan José Haedo (Argentina)
- Jonathan Cantwell (Australia)
- Nick Nuyens (Belgium)
- Chris Anker Sørensen (Denmark)
- Nicki Sørensen (Denmark)
- Michael Mørkøv (Denmark)
- Anders Lund (Denmark)
- Karsten Kroon (Holland)
- Sergio Paulinho (Portugal)

"We are entering this year's Tour de France with our eyes set on stage wins and with the aim to make an impact on the race, and I'm convinced that this is possible. We have tried to put together a group of riders that will enable us to open up possibilities, and I believe we have found a great mix of experience, aggressiveness and different competencies," team owner Bjarne Riis says.

"We will bring JJ for the sprints, and we have some trusted helpers around him. In Chris we have a rider with the potential to really influence the mountain stages and maybe he is even a guy to watch for the mountain jersey. And lead by Nick and Nicki we field a group of riders with both power and flair to go in breakaways."

"Of course this is a very different job waiting for us this year without a designated GC rider. But I see this as an exciting challenge and a possibility to take some risks that would have been practically impossible under other circumstances. I actually have a really good feeling about the Tour, and I don't think it would be wise to underestimate our team," Bjarne Riis continues.

This year's Tour de France kicks off with a prologue in Liège Saturday on June 30.

Photo courtesy of JonathanCantwell.com