Peter Sagan will lead Cannondale Pro Cycling at the Tour de France in search of a second consecutive green jersey.
Sagan claimed three stage wins and the green jersey in 2012, the Slovak sensation’s debut appearance in the race, and will arrive at the 2013 race with the full backing of his Cannondale team.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a fine 2013 campaign to date, winning Gent–Wevelgem and Brabantse Pijl, and recording a string of stage wins at the Tour of Oman, Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of California and Tour de Suisse, as well as registering second place finishes in the Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, E3 Harelbeke and Tour of Flanders.
Moreno Moser, another of the team’s young stars and winner of the Strade Bianche in March, will also be given a free reign to target stage wins on his Grand Tour debut.
Maciej Bodnar, Kristijan Koren, Alessandro De Marchi, Alan Marangoni, Fabio Sabatini, Ted King and Brian Vandborg complete the nine-man line-up. Like Moser, De Marchi, Marangoni and King will all be making their first appearance in La Grande Boucle.
Directeur sportif Stefano Zanatta said: “This team is the ideal one to target our goals at the Tour. A talented rider such as Sagan deserves to be supported in the best way. He has prepared for this event with great commitment and accuracy: his wish to win the green jersey is our wish.
“To be competitive in the stages suited for us is another of our prerogatives. Peter got us used to champion’s actions but also Moser has the right characteristics to leave his mark.
“We’re really confident in his quality and we just ask him to do his best. His growth will be our third target at this Tour de France.”
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