Tomorrow the 64th Vuelta a España will start in Assen in The Netherlands. The riders start with a 4,5 km prologue on the motor circuit TT Assen and with 3 stages in The Netherlands and Belgium (click here to see the full route of the Vuelta 2009).

Tonight the different teams have been presented: 198 riders will be at the start for 22 different teams. In this article you can discover who are those riders, which numbers they have and what their ambitions are for this Tour of Spain 2009 !

The first rider will start at 3.30PM while the last rider will leave the start ramp at 6.38PM.

Since last year's winner, Alberto Contador, won't participate this year, Samuel Sanchez got the number 1 since he's the Olympic champion.

Euskaltel Euskadi (Spain)

The Spanish team appointed the Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez as its leader: he would like to finish on the podium. In the Vuelta 2007 he finished third and he has a total of 5 stage wins in the Vuelta; this year he hopes to do even better.

The full orange team is as follows:
1/ Samuel Sanchez
2/ Igor Anton
3/ Aitor Hernandez
4/ Inaki Isasi
5/ Markel Irizar
6/ Egoi Martinez
7/ Alan Perez
8/ Ruben Perez
9/ Amets Txurruka

AG2R La Mondiale (France) : Top 5 as a goal!

The French team is lead by the Slovenian rider Tadej Valjavec and fixed some pretty high goals.

Vincent Lavenu, the team's manager said: Our most important goal is to get a good place in the GC for our leader. I think about a place among the first 10 or even in the Top 5. Furthermore we will try to get some stage wins which we really need this season. The team gets good results in the Grand Tours but we're lacking stage wins. John Gadret, Rinaldo Nocentini and Sébastien Hinault should be able to win a stage. Hinault already won one stage in 2008 in the Vuelta. Jose-Luis Arrieta will as usual keep his role as organisor in the team, making sure that everything's fine and to protect our leader. We will do everything we can to win a stage in this Tour of Spain!

Valjavec seized the occasion to sign a new contract with his team for 2010 with an option for 2011.

The team will be at the start tomorrow with the following riders:
11/ Tadej Valjavec
12/ José Luis Arrieta
13/ Alexander Efimkin
14/ John Gadret
15/ Sébastien Hinault
16/ Julien Loubet
17/ Rinaldo Nocentini
18/ Christophe Riblon
19/ Ludovic Turpin

Andalucia Cajasur (Spain)

This Spanish Continental team comes to the Vuelta with Xavier Tondo, 9th in the UCI Europe Tour ranking on 25 August and among others helped by a rider who was quite visible in the Tour of Portugal, Antonio Piedra. The full list of riders in pink is as follows:
21/ Xavier Tondo
22/ Manuel Calvente
23/ Juan Antonio Lopez Gil
24/ Francisco José Martinez Perez
25/ Manuel Ortega
26/ Antonio Piedra
27/ Javier Ramirez Abeja
28/ Jesus Rosendo Prado
29/ José Ruiz Sanchez

Astana (Kazakhstan)

The Kazakh team can unfortunately not count on Andreas Klöden for this Spanish race. The German rider fell in the 2nd stage of the Eneco Tour and has a wrist injury since. However, apparently this decision has already been taken before.
The Spanish rider Haimar Zubeldia will lead this team but a rider from Kazakhstan could well become one of its leaders as well: Alexander Vinokourov. This rider who was suspended in July 2007 after a positive test on blood transfusion is back in the peloton since early August. In the Tour de l'Ain he had to participate in the national team of Kazakhstan since he didn't manage to sign a contract with his former team Astana. In the mean time the negociations (which were apparently that difficult that Johan Bruyneel had to spend a few nights in the hospital afterwards) succeeded and Vino is thus back at Astana !

His comeback was quite successful so far: in the Tour de l'Ain he won one stage and he's also become time trial champion at the Asian championships. In the Vuelta he will rather try to get a stage win than a spot on the podium: I didn't expect to win these races, but the level of the Vuelta is much higher. I'm not sure wether I can keep the same condition during three weeks. Therefore I prefer to target a stage win, in a time trial or in the mountains.
31/ Haimar Zubeldia
32/ Assan Bazayev
33/ Jesus Hernandez Blazquez
34/ Christopher Horner
35/ Maxim Iglinsky
36/ Daniel Navarro
37/ José Luis Rubiera
38/ Michael Schär
39/ Alexander Vinokourov

Bbox Bouygues Telecom (France)

The second French team, recently leader of the team ranking of the Tour du Limousin will take the following riders to the Tour of Spain:
41/ Pierrick Fédrigo
42/ Giovanni Bernaudeau
43/ Olivier Bonnaire
44/ William Bonnet
45/ Franck Bouyer
46/ Damien Gaudin
47/ Vincent Jérôme
48/ Laurent Lefèvre
49/ Matthieu Sprick

Caisse d'Epargne (Spain)

Alejandro Valverde is the leader for the team of the French bank. The Spanish rider who's suspended on the Italian sole could not participate in the Tour de France 2009 and is thus definitely motivated to prove that he's still there and deserves his place on the routes of the Tour of Spain.

The Spanish team with a French sponsor who was recently quite successful with Mathieu Perget who won the Tour du Limousin, appears at the start in Assen with the following riders:
51/ Alejandro Valverde
52/ Imanol Erviti
53/ José Vicente Garcia Acosta
54/ Vasil Kiryienka
55/ Daniel Moreno
56/ David Lopez
57/ Francisco Perez
58/ Joaquin Rodriguez
59/ Xabier Zandio

Cervélo TestTeam

The Swiss team with a Canadian sponsor will come to the start with some of its Spanish riders. The full team is as follows:
61/ Iñigo Cuesta
62/ Philip Deignan
63/ Xavier Florencio
64/ Simon Gerrans
65/ José Angel Gomez Marchante
66/ Roger Hammond
67/ Ignatas Konovalovas
68/ Gabriel Rabsch
69/ Dominique Rollin

Cofidis (France)

The third French team starts the Vuelta with a mostly French selection (6 French riders):
71/ David Moncoutié
72/ Mickaël Buffaz
73/ Jean-Eudes Demaret
74/ Leonardo Duqué
75/ Julien El Farès
76/ Bingen Fernandez
77/ Amaël Moinard
78/ Damien Monier
79/ Rein Taaramae

Contentpolis-Ampo (Spain)

The second Spanis Continental team in the Tour of Spain calls itself a very small team in a race such as the Tour of Spain. Despite that they'll do all they can to show they deserved the invitation. The team will try to do so with the following riders:
81/ Julian Sanchez Pimienta
82/ Javier Benitez
83/ Sergio Dominguez
84/ Oscar Garcia-Casarrubios
85/ Mikel Gastañaga
86/ Francisco José Pacheco
87/ Adrian Palomares
88/ Aitor Perez Arrieta
89/ Manue Vazquez

Française des Jeux (France)

The fourth French team can unfortunately not count on Yoann Offredo because he broke his collar bone when he fell in the Eneco Tour. With Sandy Casar, 19th in the Vuelta last year, the team has a good leader.

Below you'll find the full list of riders wearin the shirt with a four-leaf clover:
91/ Sandy Casar
92/ Sébastien Chavanel
93/ Mikaël Cherel
94/ Rémy Di Gregorio
95/ Arnaud Gerard
96/ Timothy Gudsell
97/ Matthieu Ladagnous
98/ Anthony Roux
99/ Wesley Sulzberger

Fuji-Servetto (France)

This team which was refused for participation in the Tour de France 2009 due to the doping history of its predecessor Saunier-Duval, will finally participate in the Tour of Spain with Juan José Cobo as a leader.

Here's the full list of riders for Fuji-Servetto :
101/ Juan José Cobo
102/ Eros Capecchi
103/ David de la Fuente
104/ Jesus Del Nero
105/ Arkaitz Duran
106/ Beñat Intxausti
107/ Fredrik Kessiakoff
108/ Robert Kiserlovski
109/ Davide Vigano

Garmin Slipstream (United States)

The American team which is sponsored by the supplier of my bike GPS and more precisely its rider Tyler Farrar fixed itself the leader's jersey as a goal after the prologue tomorrow: It won't be easy but I have good hope and I'll do everything I can. I did a good time trial in the Eneco Tour as well last week.

Among the 9 riders who will participate in the Vuelta there are some big names such as David Millar and Julian Dean. The full selection is as follows:
111/ Thomas Danielson
112/ Julian Dean
113/ Tyler Farrar
114/ Ryder Hesjedal
115/ Martijn Maaskant
116/ Daniel Martin
117/ Christian Meier
118/ David Millar
119/ Svein Tuft

Lampre-NGC (Italy)

The rider with the rainbow jersey, World Champion Alessandro Ballan, will of course come to this Tour of Spain and will find in his team a rider who is at least as important as he: Damiano Cunego. Except one rider, the Ukranian Vitaliy Buts, the team is completely Italian:
121/ Damiano Cunego
122/ Alessandro Ballan
123/ Emanuele Bindi
124/ Vitaliy Buts
125/ Enrico Gasparotto
126/ Marco Marzano
127/ Massimiliano Mori
128/ Paolo Tiralongo
129/ Francesco Tomei

Liquigas (Italy)

The second Italian team comes to the Vuelta with Ivan Basso as its leader. This Italian rider will do his first Vuelta ever but has some high ambitions: It's the first time in my carreer I start in the Vuelta and I want to leave a good impression. Five mountain top finishes, difficult stages with several climbs and two difficult time trials. I can't deny this matches my qualities.
He can count on a quite impressive team with riders such as Daniele Bennati, Roman Kreuziger and Manuel Quinziato. The full selection is as follows:
131/ Ivan Basso
132/ Daniele Bennati
133/ Maciej Bodnar
134/ Kjell Carlström
135/ Roman Kreuziger
136/ Manuel Quinziato
137/ Fabio Sabatini
138/ Sylvest Szmyd
139/ Oliver Zaugg

QuickStep (Belgium)

After a Tour de France which ended as a deception for Tom Boonen - Belgian champion - he will probably want to show his best side here. He will do so together with the only Spanish rider in the selection, Carlos Barredo, who might well take a stage win, just like the sprinter Allan Davis.

Wilfried Peeters said about the selection: Our main goal is to win one or more stages, but it will be difficult to get the same score as last year. The start in The Netherlands and the stage coming trough Belgium where we'll find our supporters are an extra motivation for us.

Below you'll find the full selection:
141/ Tom Boonen
142/ Carlos Barredo
143/ Allan Davis
144/ Kevin de Weert
145/ Stijn Devolder
146/ Matteo Tossato
147/ Marco Velo
148/ Wouter Weylandt
149/ Maarten Wynants

Rabobank (The Netherlands)

The team of the Dutch bank is probably quite happy to find the roads of its own country in the first few stages.
The big names in this team are Robert Gesink who finished the Tour of Spain 7th last year, and of course the Spanish rider Oscar Freire. The Dutch champion, Koos Moerenhout, will also be there.

Erik Breukink's team will be as follows at the start of the Vuelta:
151/ Oscar Freire
152/ Lars Boom
153/ Juan Manuel Garate
154/ Robert Gesink
155/ Tom Leezer
156/ Paul Martens
157/ Koos Moerenhout
158/ Bram Tankink
159/ Pieter Weening

Silence Lotto (Belgium)

The second Belgian team will be at the start with riders like Cadel Evans for who the condition is quite uncertain.

The full selection for Silence-Lotto is as follows:
161/ Cadel Evans
162/ Christophe Brandt
163/ Francis de Greef
164/ Mickaël Delage
165/ Philippe Gilbert
166/ Olivier Kaisen
167/ Matthew Lloyd
168/ Jurgen Roelandts
169/ Charles Wegelius

Columbia HTC (United States)

The American team has been really brilliant in the other two Grand Tours of the season with no less than 6 stage wins in the Tour of Italy and six as well in the Tour de France. The rocket engine Mark Cavendish won't participate in the Tour of Spain, so the team will probably not be able to obtain such a score here.

Despite the absence of Cavendish, Columbia-HTC can count on a sprint specialist with André Greipel. Kim Kirchen would like to go for a good place in the GC.

171/ André Greipel
172/ Michael Albasini
173/ Bert Grabsch
174/ Adam Hansen
175/ Greg Henderson
176/ Kim Kirchen
177/ Frantisek Rabon
178/ Vicente Reynes
179/ Marcel Sieberg

Team Milram (Allemagne)

Fabian Wegmann will not participate in the Tour of Spain since he has some problems with his back. On his website he explains that he thus prefers focusing on the World Championships in Mendrisio.

For the team with the cow shirts the following riders will be at the start of the Vuelta:
181/ Gerald Ciolek
182/ Linus Gerdemann
183/ Christian Knees
184/ Dominiki Roels
185/ Thomas Rohregger
186/ Matthias Russ
187/ Björn Schröder
188/ Martin Velits
189/ Paul Voss

Saxo Bank (Danmark)

The Danish team comes to the start of the Tour of Spain with the two Schleck brothers. Andy is the leader of the team but fixed lower ambitions than for the Tour de France : I don't come to the Vuelta to win, I'm too young to get a podium place in two Grand Tours in one year. However, of course I'll do my best and try to show something nice.

The neo pro Jakob Fuglsang will do his first Tour of Spain but will however already try to get a place in the Top 15 and thinks he can win a stage.

Matti Breschel and Stuart O'Grady will also try to win a stage in case of a final sprint.

The full selection around the brothers from Luxembourg is as follows:
191/ Andy Schleck
192/ Kurt-Asle Arvesen
193/ Matti Breschel
194/ Fabian Cancellara
195/ Jakob Fuglsang
196/ Alexander Kolobnev
197/ Karsten Kroon
198/ Stuart O'Grady
199/ Frank Schleck

Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (The Netherlands)

The second Dutch team in this Tour of Spain recently contracted the Feillu brothers for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. This team comes to the Vuelta with several riders who can win a stage.

The Slovenian sprinter Borut Bozic for example had already won the first stage of the Tour of Poland and more recently won the first stage of the Tour du Limousin.

The riders of this team which is rapidly improving its reputation will start with a mourning band as a mark of honour to the father of one of the riders, Lieuwe Westra, who despite this loss will participate in the Tour of Spain anyway.

201/ Matteo Carrara
202/ Borut Bozic
203/ Johnny Hoogerland
204/ Sergey Lagutin (check out my interview with him before the start of the Tour du Limousin)
205/ Björn Leukemans
206/ Marco Marcato
207/ Jens Mouris
208/ Matheus Pronk
209/ Lieuwe Westra

Xacobeo Galicia (Spain)

This Spanish Continental team participated in the Tour of Italy as well this year.

In the Tour of Spain the team will be present with the following riders:
211/ Ezequiel Mosquera
212/ Gustavo César Veloso
213/ Gustavo Dominguez
214/ Alberto Fernandez Sainz
215/ David Garcia
216/ David Herrero
217/ Serafin Martinez Acevedo
218/ Gonzalo Rabunal Rios
219/ Eduard Vorganov

The most important favourites

After having checked this list of participants in the Tour of Spain 2009, I think we can easily put the following riders in te list of favourites:
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
- Ivan Basso (Liquigas)
- Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) with some doubts about his condition
- and why not Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
- Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) excludes himself for the final win and Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) does the same while Alessandro Ballan and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-NGC) especially come to the Vuelta to improve their condition for the World Championships in Mendrisio a week after the Tour of Spain.

door Thomas Vergouwen
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this publication is published in: Vuelta a España | Cycling general (except Tour de France) | Vuelta a España 2009

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