Published March 7, 2013 09:32AM
Sixteen teams have been selected to compete at the 2013 Amgen Tour of California, which starts in Escondido on May 12 and concludes in Santa Rosa on May 19.
A number of riders have already been confirmed for the race, including Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Phillipe Gilbert and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing), and Peter Sagan (Cannondale).
“This year’s Amgen Tour of California will be awesome,” Sagan, who won five stages at the 2012 race, said in a press release. “I had an amazing experience last year and from the looks of the route this year, there are some incredible stages and sprints I can’t wait to take on.”
Defending overall winner Robert Gesink (Blanco) is targeting the Giro d’Italia and his Dutch team will not be at the start in Escondido.
Jamis-Hagens Berman will be there, however, with former Amgen Tour stage winner J.J. Haedo.
“I’m thrilled that the organizers of the Tour of California have invited the team to participate in the race. With JJ, Ben [Jacques-Maynes], and Janier [Acevedo] leading the team, we will field a group of guys that can and will deliver results. We have scheduled our early-season races to get the riders to the start in Escondido in the best condition possible.”
UCI ProTeams
BMC Racing
Cannondale
Omega Pharma–Quick Step
Orica-GreenEdge
Radioshack-Leopard
Garmin-Sharp
Saxo-Tinkoff
Vacansoleil-DCM
UCI Pro Continental teams
Champion System
NetApp-Endura
UnitedHealthcare
UCI Continental teams
5-hour Energy-Kenda
Bissell
Bontrager
Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
Jamis–Hagens Berman