2012 UCI Pro Teams

Professional cycling teams are ranked into three tiers. The top level is UCI Pro Team and the 18 teams here have automatic and obligatory access to the big races on the UCI’s World Tour calendar. In addition, there is a range of rules governing these teams that aim to ensure sporting and financial stability.

You’ll find the top-18 teams below, their sponsors explained plus riders and staff listed.

Click on the links to jump to the team.

Ag2r La Mondiale	|	Astana	|	BMC Racing	|	Euskaltel-Euskadi
FDJ-BigMat	|	Garmin-Barracuda	|	Greenedge Cycling	|	Katusha
Lampre-ISD	|	Liquigas-Cannondale	|	Lotto-Belisol	|	Movistar
Omega Pharma-Quickstep	|	Rabobank	|	Radioshack-Nissan	|	Sky Procycling
Team Saxo Bank	|	Vacansoleil-DCM

Ag2r La Mondiale

Country	France
Sponsor	Mutual healthcare plans and savings
Bikes	Kuota, SRAM, Reynolds
Manager	Vincent Lavenu
Sports Directors	Laurent Biondi, Julien Jurdie, Arturas Kasputis, Gilles Mas, Didier Jannel

Manuel Belletti	ITA	26
Julien Berard	FRA	24
Guillaume Bonnafond	FRA	24
Maxime Bouet	FRA	25
Jimmy Casper	FRA	33
Mikael Cherel	FRA	25
Hubert Dupont	FRA	31
Martin Elmiger	SUI	33
John Gadret	FRA	32
Ben Gastauer	LUX	24
Gregor Gazvoda	SLO	30
Sylvain Georges	FRA	27
Kristof Goddaert	BEL	25
Sébastien Hinault	FRA	37
Steve Houanard	FRA	25
Blel Kadri	FRA	25
Romain Lemarchand	FRA	24
Sébastien Minard	FRA	29
Lloyd Mondory	FRA	29
Matteo Montaguti	ITA	28
Rinaldo Nocentini	ITA	34
Jean-Christophe Peraud	FRA	34
Mathieu Perget	FRA	27
Anthony Ravard	FRA	28
Christophe Riblon	FRA	30
Nicolas Roche	IRL	27
Boris Shpilevsky	RUS	29
Amir Zargari	IRI	31
Romain Bardet	FRA	21

Comment: first in the alphabet but last in terms of wins for 2011. The French squad searched far and wide to get riders with enough points to stay in the top flight for 2012. Nevertheless the team is capable of winning more but often needs to do this via breakaways. But it has some sprinters who should win a stack of smaller races. Watch out for Manuel Belleti, the new Italian signing is fast. Team leaders Peraud and Roche will aim to be visible in the big races and crack the top-10 in the big stage races but if they were part of a squad like Sky or Radioshack-Nissan they’d probably be lieutenants not leaders.

Astana

Country	Kazakhstan
Sponsor	Kazakhstan national government
Bikes	Specialized, SRAM
Manager	Giuseppe Martinelli
Sports Directors	Guido Bontempi, Dmitri Sedoun, Alexander Shefer

Assan Bazayev	KAZ	30
Borut Bozic	SLO	31
Janez Brajkovič	SLO	28
Alexsandr Dyachenko	KAZ	28
Dmitriy Fofonov	KAZ	35
Enrico Gasparotto	ITA	29
Francesco Gavazzi	ITA	27
Andriy Grivko	UKR	28
Dimitriy Gruzdev	KAZ	29
Jacopo Guarnieri	ITA	24
Maxim Iglinskiy	KAZ	30
Valentin Iglinskiy	KAZ	27
Tanel Kangert	EST	24
Andrey Kashechkin	KAZ	31
Fredrik Kessiakoff	SWE	31
Robert Kiserlovski	CRO	25
Roman Kreuziger	CZE	25
Francesco Masciarelli	ITA	25
Dmitriy Muravyev	KAZ	32
Yevgeny Nepomnyachsniy	KAZ	24
Evgeny Petrov	RUS	33
Simone Ponzi	ITA	24
Sergey Renev	KAZ	27
Kevin Seeldraeyers	BEL	25
Egor Silin	RUS	23
Paolo Tiralongo	ITA	34
Alexandr Vinokourov	KAZ	38
Andrey Zeits	KAZ	25

Comment: the team exists to provide glory to the oil-rich totalitarian dictatorship of Kazakhstan and the vehicle for Vinokourov. He also retired last year but Vino has continued, largely to lend his haul of points to the team in order to keep them in the top flight. But the team has been busy hiring new riders. Look no further than Janez Brajkovič but watch Jacopo Guarnieri too, he is a fast-finisher. 2012 should be a big year for Roman Kreuziger, the Czech has been a force since his days in junior ranks but has yet to land the big result to go from talented prospect to champion. There are other strong individuals, the team can win on almost any terrain.

BMC Racing

Country	USA
Sponsor	BMC bicycles
Bikes	BMC, Shimano
Managers	Gavin Chilcott and Jim Ochowicz
Sports Directors	John Lelangue, Rik Verbrugghe, Fabio Baldato, Mike Sayers, Maximilian Sciandri, Noel Dejonckheere

Alessandro Ballan	ITA	32
Adam Blythe	GBR	22
Brent Bookwalter	USA	27
Marcus Burghardt	GER	28
Stephen Cummings	GBR	30
Cadel Evans	AUS	34
Mathias Frank	SUI	25
Philippe Gilbert	BEL	29
George Hincapie	USA	38
Thor Hushovd	NOR	33
Martin Kohler	SUI	26
Klaas Lodewyck	BEL	23
Amaël Moinard	FRA	29
Steve Morabito	SUI	28
Marco Pinotti	ITA	35
Manuel Quinziato	ITA	32
Mauro Santambrogio	ITA	27
Ivan Santaromita	ITA	27
Michael Schär	SUI	25
Johann Tschopp	SUI	29
Greg Van Avermaet	BEL	26
Tejay Van Garderen	USA	23
Danilo Wyss	SUI	26
Yannick Eijssen	BEL	22
Taylor Phinney	USA	21
Thimothy Roe	AUS	22

Comment: A very different team to last year with the arrival of Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd for the classics thanks to the big spending of team owner Andy Rihs. Greg Van Avermaet was proving an able winner last year, we’ll see how he is deployed alongside the big signings. Cadel Evans now has more help for the Tour de France thanks to the arrival of Tejay Van Garderen and Marco Pinotti, indeed the squad is much stronger compared to 2011.

Euskaltel – Euskadi

Country	Spain
Sponsor	Basque regional government, local telecoms provider
Bikes	Orbea, Shimano
Manager	Miguel Madariaga Barinaga
Sports Directors	Gorka Gerrikagoitia Arrien, Alvaro Gonzalez De Galdeano, Inaki Isasi Flores

Igor Anton Hernandez	ESP	28
Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau	ESP	32
Jorge Azanza Soto	ESP	29
Victor Cabedo	ESP	22
Pierre Cazaux	FRA	27
Ricardo Garcia Ambroa	ESP	23
Gorka Izagirre Insausti	ESP	24
Egoi Martinez De Esteban	ESP	33
Miguel Minguez Ayala	ESP	23
Mikel Nieve Ituralde	ESP	27
Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde	ESP	31
Alan Perez Lezaun	ESP	29
Ruben Perez Moreno	ESP	30
Adrian Saez	ESP	25
Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez	ESP	33
Romain Sicard	FRA	24
Amets Txurruka	ESP	29
Pablo Urtasun Perez	ESP	31
Ivan Velasco Murillo	ESP	31
Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui	ESP	33
Peio Bilbao	ESP	21
Jon Izaguirre Insausti	ESP	22
Mikel Landa Meana	ESP	22

Comment: This could be the team’s last year in the top flight as budget troubles appear. It has the minimum roster allowed under the rules and its best riders are being poached by rival Spanish squad Movistar. The proud regional identity of the team shines through but their best rider, Samuel Sanchez isn’t fully from the Basque region. Expect to see them active in early breakaways, livening up the race.

FDJ – BigMat

Country	France
Sponsor	French state lottery, building materials retailer
Bikes	Lapierre, Shimano
Manager	Marc Madiot
Sports Directors	Thierry Bricaud, Martial Gayant, Yvon Madiot, Frank Pineau

William Bonnet	FRA	29
David Boucher	FRA	31
Sandy Casar	FRA	32
Steve Chainel	FRA	28
Mickael Delage	FRA	26
Pierrick Fedrigo	FRA	33
Arnaud Gerard	FRA	27
Anthony Geslin	FRA	31
Frédéric Guesdon	FRA	40
Yauheni Hutarovich	BLR	28
Arnold Jeannesson	FRA	25
Matthieu Ladagnous	FRA	27
Francis Mourey	FRA	31
Yoann Offredo	FRA	25
Rémi Pauriol	FRA	29
Cédric Pineau	FRA	26
Thibaut Pinot	FRA	21
Gabriel Rasch	NOR	35
Dominique Rollin	CAN	29
Anthony Roux	FRA	24
Jérémy Roy	FRA	28
Geoffrey Soupe	FRA	23
Benoît Vaugrenard	FRA	30
Jussi Veikkanen	FIN	30
Arthur Vichot	FRA	23
Nacer Bouhanni	FRA	21
Arnaud Courteille	FRA	22
Arnaud Demare	FRA	20
Kenny Elissonde	FRA	20

Comment: a return to the Pro Team for 2012, the squad has recruited some more riders. Fedrigo has a world-class engine but misfired last year after a parasite infection bugged him. There’s a lot of promise on the squad but going from contenders to actual race-winners is the team’s biggest challenge. Jérémy Roy is an interesting rider with an engineering degree, a column in L’Equipe and social-media mastery on top of his breakaway speciality. Watch Thibaut Pinot, a talented climber with some impressive wins to his name already and don’t forget Arnold Jeannesson, white jersey in the Tour de France for a while last year.

Garmin – Barracuda

Country	USA
Sponsor	Satellite navigation and cycle computers; IT security, networking and storage
Bikes	Cervélo, Shimano, Rotor, Mavic
Manager	Jonathan Vaughters
Sports Directors	Alan Peiper, Eric Van Lancker, Chann McRae, Bingen Fernandez, Geert Van Bondt, Charles Wegelius

Jack Bauer	NZL	26
Tom Danielson	USA	33
Thomas Dekker	NED	27
Tyler Farrar	USA	27
Koldo Fernandez	ESP	30
Murilo Fischer	BRA	32
Nathan Haas	AUS	22
Heinrich Haussler	AUS	27
Ryder Hesjedal	CAN	31
Alex Howes	USA	24
Robbie Hunter	RSA	34
Andreas Klier	GER	35
Michel Kreder	NED	24
Raymond Kreder	NED	22
Christophe Le Mevel	FRA	31
Martijn Maaskant	NED	28
Dan Martin	IRL	25
David Millar	GBR	35
Ramunas Navardauskas	LTU	23
Tom Peterson	USA	25
Jacob Rathe	USA	20
Alex Rasmussen	DEN	27
Sebastien Rosseler	BEL	30
Peter Stetina	USA	24
Andrew Talansky	USA	23
Christian Vande Velde	USA	35
Johan Vansummeren	BEL	30
Fabian Wegmann	GER	31
David Zabriskie	USA	32
Sep Vanmarcke	BEL	23

Comment: a team but a collection of individuals too, the squad had a great time last year with wins in the classics and Tour de France although a lot of this was connected to Thor Hushovd who’s gone to BMC. But there are plenty of others, Farrar remains one of the biggest rivals to Mark Cavendish in the sprint and Dan Martin sits in the top-10 of the UCI rankings. Watch Navardauskas for his hard work, a neo-pro who can pull the peloton along. A key signing isn’t a rider but a manager in Allan Peiper, the DS brings a lot of experience.

Greenedge

Country	Australia
Sponsor	None for now, funded by Ryan family
Bikes	Scott, Shimano
Manager	Shayne Bannan
Sports Directors	Matthew White, Laurenzo Lapage, Lionel Marie, Neil Stephens, Daniele Nardello, Vittorio Algeri

Michael Albasini	SUI	31
Fumiyuki Beppu	JPN	28
Jack Bobridge	AUS	22
Simon Clarke	AUS	25
Baden Cooke	AUS	33
Allan Davis	AUS	31
Julian Dean	NZL	36
Mitchell Docker	AUS	25
Simon Gerrans	AUS	31
Matthew Goss	AUS	25
Leigh Howard	AUS	22
Daryl Impey	RSA	27
Jens Keukeleire	BEL	23
Aidis Kruopis	LTU	25
Brett Lancaster	AUS	32
Sebastian Langeveld	NED	26
Robbie Mcewen	AUS	39
Christian Meier	CAN	26
Cameron Meyer	AUS	24
Travis Meyer	AUS	22
Jens Mouris	NED	31
Stuart O’Grady	AUS	38
Wesley Sulzberger	AUS	25
Daniel Teklehaymanot	ERI	23
Svein Tuft	CAN	34
Tomas Vaitkus	LTU	29
Pieter Weening	NED	30
Matthew Wilson	AUS	34
Luke Durbridge	AUS	20
Michael Hepburn	AUS	20

Comment: the new kid in town, Greenedge is the Australian team. Arguably Britain copied the Australian model of lavish funding and talent-spotting for the track to bring Olympic medals, this programme has spin-offs with the endurance events (pursuit, points etc) providing enough riders to fill a team. Now the Australians have mimicked the British and Team Sky with this squad. We’ll see how they gel for 2012, the team is packed with sprinters and those of a track pedigree so expect some wins in the sprints. As well as hunting for wins they’re looking for a sponsor and there could be good news here soon.

Katusha

Country	Russia
Sponsor	Various Russian companies linked to the Kremlin
Bikes	Canyon, Shimano, Mavic
Managers	Hans-Michael Holzer, Theo Maucher
Sports Directors	Christian Henn, Valerio Piva, Mario Chiesa, Claudio Cozzi, Dmitri Konychev

Maxim Belkov	RUS	27
Pavel Brutt	RUS	29
Giampaolo Caruso	ITA	31
Xavier Florencio	ESP	32
Oscar Freire	ESP	35
Denis Galimzyanov	RUS	24
Vladimir Gusev	RUS	29
Juan Horrach	ESP	37
Petr Ignatenko	RUS	24
Mikhail Ignatiev	RUS	26
Vladimir Isaichev	RUS	25
Alexander Kristoff	NOR	24
Timofey Kritskiy	RUS	24
Aliaksandr Kuschynski	BLR	32
Alberto Losada	ESP	29
Denis Menchov	RUS	33
Daniel Moreno	ESP	30
Luca Paolini	ITA	34
Alexander Porsev	RUS	25
Joaquin Rodriguez	ESP	32
Rudiger Selig	GER	22
Gatis Smukulis	LAT	24
Simon Spilak	SLO	25
Yury Trofimov	RUS	27
Alexey Tsatevitch	RUS	22
Maxime Vantomme	BEL	25
Angel Vicioso	ESP	34
Eduard Vorganov	RUS	29
Marco Haller	AUT	20

Comment: Team Kremlin had a reorganisation over the winter with, out went some Italian and Russian managers, in came the Germans Hans-Michael Holzcer and Theo Maucher. Menchov arrives after the Geox team, we will see if he can regain his ability to be a contender for the grand tours. Rodriguez is a versatile rider and the battle with Alejandro Valverde for uphill finishes could be a duel worth watching in 2012. Galimzyanov is the sprinter, a powerful rider who is expected to improve and Freire lurks as usual. I’m more interested in the sponsors and management but make no mistake this is one of the biggest-budget teams in the sport and they’ve got ambitions to match.

Lampre – ISD

Country	Italy
Sponsor	Italian pre-coated steel, Ukrainian steel mills
Bikes	Willier Triestina, Campagnolo
Manager	Antonio Sarroni
Sports Directors	Roberto Damiani, Bruno Vicino

Winner Anacona	COL	23
Leonardo Bertagnolli	ITA	34
Grega Bole	SLO	26
Matteo Bono	ITA	28
Vitaliy Buts	UKR	25
Davide Cimolai	ITA	22
Damiano Cunego	ITA	30
Massimo Graziato	ITA	23
Danilo Hondo	GER	38
Matthew Lloyd	AUS	28
Adriano Malori	ITA	23
Marco Marzano	ITA	31
Manuele Mori	ITA	31
Przemyslaw Niemiec	POL	31
Oleksandr Kvachuk	UKR	28
Alessandro Petacchi	ITA	38
Daniele Pietropolli	ITA	31
Morris Possoni	ITA	27
Daniele Righi	ITA	35
Michele Scarponi	ITA	32
Alessandro Spezialetti	ITA	36
Simone Stortoni	ITA	26
Diego Ulissi	ITA	22
Davide Vigano	ITA	27

Comment: the Italian team with a Ukrainian flavour, the pink and blue jersey has been a fixture in the sport since 1993, indeed some riders on the team are old enough, just, to have been able to sign for the team back then and the team has the oldest average age. Cunego, Scarponi and Petacchi remain the leaders but watch the progress of Ulissi; Polish rider Niemiec is a strong finisher uphill and could get a chance. And Winner Anacona has to be the best name in the peloton.

Liquigas – Cannondale

Country	Italy
Sponsor	Dutch-owned domestic bottled gas distributor, Canadian-owned bicycle brand
Bikes	Cannondale, SRAM
Manager	Roberto Amadio
Sports Directors	Dario Mariuzzo, Mario Scirea, Alberto Volpi, Stefano Zanatta, Paolo Slongo, Biagio Conte

Valerio Agnoli	ITA	27
Ivan Basso	ITA	34
Maciej Bodnar	POL	26
Federico Canuti	ITA	26
Eros Capecchi	ITA	25
Damiano Caruso	ITA	24
Tiziano Dalto Da	ITA	30
Mauro Dall’antonia	ITA	28
Timothy Duggan	USA	29
Edward King	USA	28
Kristijan Koren	SLO	25
Paolo Longo Borghini	ITA	31
Alan Marangoni	ITA	27
Dominik Nerz	GER	22
Vincenzo Nibali	ITA	27
Daniel Oss	ITA	24
Maciej Paterski	POL	25
Daniele Ratto	ITA	22
Fabio Sabatini	ITA	26
Peter Sagan	SVK	21
Juraj Sagan	SVK	23
Cristiano Salerno	ITA	26
José Sarmiento	COL	24
Sylvester Szmyd	POL	33
Alessandro Vanotti	ITA	31
Elia Viviani	ITA	22
Stefano Agostini	ITA	23
Moreno Moser	ITA	21

Comment: the youngest team, the squad is about three riders: Basso, Nibali and Sagan and many others in the team are there solely to support their leaders. But Capecchi is a prospect and Elia Viviani is a very fast sprinter who is aiming for a gold in the omnium competition on the track in the Olympics. And we’ll see if Daniel Oss can win for himself or becomes a deluxe bodyguard for Sagan. Note Moreno Moser has joined the squad, he is the nephew of Franceso Moser, one of the sport’s all time great riders.

Lotto – Belisol

Country	Belgium
Sponsor	Belgian state lottery, Aluminium windows and doors
Bikes	Ridley, Campagnolo
Manager	Bill Olivier
Sports Directors	Marc Sergeant, Herman Frison, Jean Pierre Heynderickx, Marc Wauters, Bart Leysen, Michiel Elijzen, Mario Aerts

Lars Ytting Bak	DEN	31
Gaetan Bille	BEL	23
Brian Bulgac	NED	23
Sander Cordeel	BEL	24
Bart Clercq	BEL	25
Francis De Greef	BEL	26
Kenny De Haes	BEL	27
Gert Dockx	BEL	23
André Greipel	GER	29
Adam Hansen	AUS	30
Greg Henderson	NZL	35
Olivier Kaisen	BEL	28
Maarten Neyens	BEL	26
Gianni Meersman	BEL	26
Vicente Mimo Reynes	ESP	30
Jurgen Roelandts	BEL	26
Fréderique Robert	BEL	22
Marcel Sieberg	GER	29
Mehdi Sohrabi	IRI	30
Jurgen Van De Walle	BEL	34
Jurgen Van Den Broeck	BEL	28
Joost Van Leijen	NED	27
Jelle Vanendert	BEL	26
Dennis Vanendert	BEL	23
Jonas Vangenechten	BEL	25
Frederik Willems	BEL	32
Jens Debusschere	BEL	22
Tosh Van Der Sande	BEL	21

Comment: over the winter the Omega Pharma-Lotto squad has split with the Lotto rump remaining here. André Greipel gets more help for the sprints with Henderson. Vandendert is becoming a strong climber. It’s a big year for Van Den Broeck, the Belgian crashed out of the Tour de France and needs a good result to justify his status as team leader.

Movistar

Country	Spain
Sponsor	Spanish mobile telecoms provider
Bikes	Pinarello, Campagnolo
Manager	Eusebio Unzue
Sports Directors	José Luis Jaimerena, Yvon Ledanois, José Luis Arrieta, Alfonso Galilea

Andrey Amador Bakkazakova	CRC	25
David Arroyo Duran	ESP	32
Marzio Bruseghin	ITA	37
Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas	ESP	24
Juan José Cobo	ESP	30
Imanol Erviti Ollo	ESP	28
Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa	POR	25
José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios	ESP	33
José Herrada Lopez	ESP	26
Benat Intxausti Elorriaga	ESP	25
Javier Iriarte	ESP	25
Vladimir Karpets	RUS	31
Vasili Kiryienka	BLR	30
Ignatas Konovalovas	LTU	26
Pablo Lastras Garcia	ESP	35
David Lopez Garcia	ESP	30
Angel Madrazo Ruiz	ESP	23
Javier Moreno Bazan	ESP	27
Sergio Pardilla Bellon	ESP	27
Ruben Plaza Molina	ESP	31
Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil	ESP	26
Branislau Samoilau	BLR	26
Alejandro Valverde	ESP	31
Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi	ESP	29
Giovanni Visconti	ITA	28
Jesus Herrada Lopez	ESP	21
Nairo Quintana Rojas	COL	21
Enrique Sanz	ESP	22

Comment: one of the strongest squads going. If some teams have sprint trains, Movistar can deploy the same method in the mountains with a range of riders to excel uphill, whether in shorter climbs with new recruit Visconti or with the likes of Valverde or Cobo. Castroviejo is a prologue specialist, Madrazo is a puncheur and others like Samoilau, Rui Costa, Intxausti and Kiriyenka are capable of winning week-long stage races, the staple of Spanish racing.

Omega Pharma – Quickstep

Country	Belgium
Sponsor	Consumer healthcare products, US-owned flooring materials company
Bikes	Specialized, SRAM
Managers	Marc Coucke, Patrick Lefevere
Sports Directors	Davide Bramati, Brian Holm, Wilfried Peeters, Jan Schaffrath, Tom Steels, Rik Van Slycke

Marco Bandiera	ITA	27
Tom Boonen	BEL	31
Matt Brammeier	IRL	26
Dario Cataldo	ITA	26
Sylvain Chavanel	FRA	32
Francesco Chicchi	ITA	31
Gerald Ciolek	GER	25
Kevin De Weert	BEL	29
Dries Devenyns	BEL	28
Michał Gołaś	POL	27
Bert Grabsch	GER	36
Michał Kwiatkowski	POL	21
Levi Leipheimer	USA	38
Nikolas Maes	BEL	25
Tony Martin	GER	26
Serge Pauwels	BEL	28
Jérôme Pineau	FRA	32
František Raboň	CZE	28
Gert Steegmans	BEL	31
Zdenek Stybar	CZE	26
Niki Terpstra	NED	27
Stijn Vandenbergh	BEL	27
Kristof Vandewalle	BEL	26
Martin Velits	SVK	26
Peter Velits	SVK	26
Andrew Fenn	GBR	21
Michal Kwiatkowski	POL	21
Matteo Trentin	ITA	22
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck	BEL	20
Julien Vermote	BEL	22

Comment: once Team Boonen, the squad has branched out to ensure it doesn’t rely on the man from Balen. Boonen himself remains a contender for the classics, who knows what would have happened if his chain didn’t jam in the Arenberg forest during Paris-Roubaix? But that’s the point, the team is planning for these things now. Martin is the big signing, the time trial champion is strong on all but the most mountainous of roads. Chavanel is capable of winning the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. Note the East European flavour with the Velits twins, Stybar and the Poles. All good riders but means to sell Quickstep flooring into growing economies too. Van Keirsbulck looked very useful in his first year as a pro, watch him.

Rabobank

Country	Netherlands
Sponsor	Retail banking
Bikes	Giant, Shimano
Manager	Harold Knebel
Sports Directors	Frans Maassen, Nico Verhoeven, Erik Dekker, Jan Boven, Adri Van Houwelingen

Carlos Barredo	ESP	30
Jetse Bol	NED	22
Lars Boom	NED	26
Theo Bos	NED	28
Matti Breschel	DEN	27
Graeme Brown	AUS	32
Stef Clement	NED	29
Rick Flens	NED	28
Juan Manuel Garate	ESP	35
Robert Gesink	NED	25
Steven Kruijswijk	NED	24
Thomas Leezer	NED	26
Paul Martens	GER	28
Bauke Mollema	NED	25
Grischa Niermann	GER	36
Mark Renshaw	AUS	29
Luis Leon Sanchez	ESP	28
Bram Tankink	NED	33
Laurens Ten Dam	NED	31
Maarten Tjallingii	NED	34
Jos Vam Emden	NED	26
Dennis Van Winden	NED	24
Coen Vermeltfoort	NED	23
Maarten Wynants	BEL	29
Wilco Kelderman	NED	20
Michael Matthews	AUS	21
Tom Jelte Slagter	NED	22

Comment: any bank wanting to project an image of security and dependability doesn’t have to look further than Rabobank. The pro team is the top tier of the company’s investment in Dutch cycling and the squad is a fixture of pro cycling. An all round team they can count of Gesink and Mollema for stage races, Breschel and Boom for the classics and there’s several contenders for the sprints, with Renshaw joining. Watch Kelderman and Matthews too. Sanchez was invisible for much of last year but came good for the Tour de France.

Radioshack – Nissan

Country	Luxembourg
Sponsor	US consumer electronics retail / Japanese auto manufacturer
Bikes	Trek, Shimano
Managers	Ricardo Scheidecker, Johan Bruyneel
Sports Directors	Luca Guercilena, Kim Andersen, Lars Michaelsen, José Azevedo, Dirk Demol

Jan Bakelants	BEL	25
Daniele Bennati	ITA	31
George Bennett	NZL	21
Matthew Busche	USA	26
Fabian Cancellara	SUI	30
Laurent Didier	LUX	27
Jakob Fuglsang	DEN	26
Tony Gallopin	FRA	23
Linus Gerdemann	GER	29
Ben Hermans	BEL	25
Christopher Horner	USA	40
Markel Irizar	ESP	31
Benjamin King	USA	22
Andreas Klöden	GER	36
Tiago Machado	POR	26
Maxime Monfort	BEL	28
Nelson Oliveira	POR	22
Yaroslav Popovych	UKR	32
Joost Posthuma	NED	30
Grégory Rast	SUI	31
Thomas Rohregger	AUT	29
Hayden Roulston	NZL	31
Andy Schleck	LUX	26
Frank Schleck	LUX	31
Jesse Sergent	NZL	23
Jens Voigt	GER	40
Robert Wagner	GER	28
Oliver Zaugg	SUI	30
Haimar Zubeldia	ESP	34
Giacomo Nizzolo	ITA	22

Comment: the result of a merger between Radioshack and Leopard, the deal was done to keep both teams on the road but has resulted in a powerful team. It goes without saying Andy Schleck needs a win, arguably the best climber in the world he should find team management obliging him to improve weaknesses in descending and time trialling. Cancellara lost out to Tony Martin last year but the duel should be fascinating this year and he’ll find support for the classics, something lacking last year.Voigt soldiers on and the team has riders who could be leaders if they left for a small squad, like Klöden or Fuglsang . Watch Sergent, a top time triallist and Gallopin.

Sky Pro Cycling

Country	Great Britain
Sponsor	Television broadcaster
Bikes	Pinarello, Shimano
Manager	David Brailsford
Sports Directors	Sean Yates, Steven De Jongh, Marcus Ljungqvist, Servais Knaven, Nicolas Portal

Davide Appollonio	ITA	22
Michael Barry	CAN	36
Edvald Boasson Hagen	NOR	24
Mark Cavendish	GBR	26
Alex Dowsett	GBR	23
Bernhard Eisel	AUT	30
Juan Antonio Flecha	ESP	34
Chris Froome	GBR	26
Mathew Hayman	AUS	33
Sergio Henao	COL	24
Jeremy Hunt	GBR	37
Peter Kennaugh	GBR	22
Christian Knees	GER	30
Thomas Löfkvist	SWE	27
Lars Petter Nordhaug	NOR	27
Danny Pate	USA	32
Richie Porte	AUS	26
Salvatore Puccio	ITA	22
Michael Rogers	AUS	32
Luke Rowe	GBR	21
Kanstantin Siutsou	BLR	29
Ian Stannard	GBR	24
Christopher Sutton	AUS	27
Ben Swift	GBR	24
Geraint Thomas	GBR	25
Rigoberto Uran	COL	24
Bradley Wiggins	GBR	31
Xabier Zandio	ESP	34

Comment: arguably the most complete team for 2012. They can win sprints, classics and are even close to landing a grand tour win. Team management have a problem most other managers would love to grapple with: how to fit so many riders together. For example can you give Thomas and Boasson Hagen leadership roles when they might also be on lead out duty for Cavendish? Will Sutton and Swift be locomotives in the sprint train. Can Uran and Porte win or will they pull for Wiggins? All these questions will be settled in time and you can be sure the methodic managers have it all worked out… on paper at least. The Tour de France is looking good for Wiggins and the surprise of Froome in the Vuelta gives the team even more options. Watch Henao and Kennaugh for suprises.

Team Saxo Bank

Country	Denmark
Sponsor	Foreign currency broker
Bikes	Specialized, SRAM
Manager	Bjarne Riis
Sports Directors	Dan Frost, Nicolas Gates, Fabrizio Guidi, Tristan Hoffman, Philippe Mauduit, Bradley McGee

Manuele Boaro	ITA	24
Jonathan Cantwell	AUS	30
Mads Christensen	DEN	27
Alberto Contador	ESP	29
Volodymir Gustov	UKR	34
Juan José Haedo	ARG	30
Lucas Sebastian Haedo	ARG	28
Jesus Hernandez	ESP	30
Jonas Jörgensen	DEN	25
Christopher Juul Jensen	DEN	22
Kasper Klostergaard	DEN	28
Karsten Kroon	NED	35
Anders Lund	DEN	26
Ran Margaliot	ISR	23
Jaroslaw Marycz	POL	24
Takashi Miyazawa	JPN	33
Michael Morkov	DEN	26
Daniel Navarro	ESP	28
Benjamin Noval	ESP	32
Nick Nuyens	BEL	31
Sergio Paulinho	POR	31
Bruno Pires	POR	30
Luke Roberts	AUS	34
Nicki Sörensen	DEN	36
Chris Anker Sörensen	DEN	27
David Tanner	AUS	27
Matteo Tosatto	ITA	37
Troels Ronning Vinther	DEN	24
Rafal Majka	POL	22

Comment: the team’s fate is largely dependent on a Swiss arbitration court and Contador’s future sets the tone for the whole squad. Capable of winning two grand tours in a season, Contador will find a squad at his service if he is able to continue riding. But team manager Bjarne Riis is able to get out of the tightest corners and bring out the best in his riders, for example don’t be surprise to see Kroon or Nuyens win a classic. Note the sponsor has signed on for one year and the team will need some success to continue.

Vacansoleil – DCM

Country	Netherlands
Sponsor	Holiday campsites, Gardenening products
Bikes	Bianchi, Shimano, FFWD
Manager	Daan Luijkx
Sports Directors	Hilaire Van Der Schueren, Michel Cornelisse, Charles Palmans, Jean-Paul Van Poppel

Kris Boeckmans	BEL	24
Matteo Carrara	ITA	32
Thomas De Gendt	BEL	25
Stefan Denifl	AUT	24
Stijn Devolder	BEL	32
Romain Feillu	FRA	27
Johnny Hoogerland	NED	28
Martijn Keizer	NED	23
Sergey Lagutin	UZB	30
Gustav Larsson	SWE	31
Björn Leukemans	BEL	34
Pim Ligthart	NED	23
Bertjan Lindeman	NED	22
Marco Marcato	ITA	27
Tomasz Marczynski	POL	27
Wouter Mol	NED	29
Jacek Morajko	POL	30
Martin Mortensen	DEN	27
Nikita Novikov	RUS	22
Marcello Pavarin	ITA	25
Wouter Poels	NED	24
Rob Ruijgh	NED	25
Mirko Selvaggi	ITA	26
Rafael Valls	ESP	24
Kenny Van Hummel	NED	29
Kevin Van Impe	BEL	30
Frederik Veuchelen	BEL	33
Lieuwe Westra	NED	29
Barry Markus	NED	20

Comment: an attacking team who liven up many a race, I sometimes feel this comes at the expense of actual wins. Hoogerland’s antics are popular but he is surely capable of winning and barring any rogue drivers, he should do something. Feillu is a useful sprinter, wild to watch yet intelligent too. The likes of Poels and Westra are strong rouleurs. The main sponsor provides camping holidays around Europe and team management focus on hiring value for money talent across Europe. Happy campers include Valls, poached from the collapse of Geox and signing Novikov was a coup, the Russian neo pro was pulled away from Katusha.

 

UCI Pro Continental and Continental status
The next level down is UCI Pro Continental and, pending confirmation, there are 22 teams. These squads have a lighter regulatory regime but nevertheless must comply with many rules. Finally there is the UCI Continental level which offers professional status and at the time of writing there are 80 teams around the world with this label.