2011 Tour de France Team Selection Announcement

The ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) has announced, rather early, the 22 teams for the 2011 Tour de France that will begin on July 2nd. Eighteen of the teams are "ProTeam" squads which according to UCI rules must be invited. The four remaining wild card slots were given to French teams.

Italian team Geox-TMC must be deflated. They had a small glimmer of hope for an invitation. That will leave Carlos Sastre, winner of the TdF in 2008, and Denis Menchov who finished 3rd last year, out of the race.

The selections:
OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO (BEL)
QUICKSTEP CYCLING TEAM (BEL)
SAXO BANK SUNGARD (DAN)
EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI (ESP)
MOVISTAR TEAM (ESP)
AG2R LA MONDIALE (FRA)
SKY PROCYCLING (GBR)
LAMPRE - ISD (ITA)
LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (ITA)
PRO TEAM ASTANA (KAZ)
TEAM LEOPARD - TREK (LUX)
RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM (HOL)
VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM (HOL)
KATUSHA TEAM (RUS)
BMC RACING TEAM (USA)
HTC-HIGHROAD (USA)
TEAM GARMIN-CERVELO (USA)
TEAM RADIOSHACK (USA)

Wild card selections:
COFIDIS, LE CREDIT EN LIGNE (FRA)
FDJ (FRA)
SAUR - SOJASUN (FRA)
TEAM EUROPCAR (FRA)

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