Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team
(listed in order of 2006 ranking, as of Feb 2006 by UCI)
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The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, the only U.S. based ProTour team
and ranked No. 8 in the world in 2005, will return in 2006 with
defending Tour de Georgia champion Tom Danielson. Danielson enters his
third year of professional racing, including an eighth place finish in
the 2005 Vuelta a Espana. Other members of the Discovery team to watch
are Trent Lowe (AUS), winner of the GE Best Young Rider jersey at the
2005 Tour de Georgia while riding for Jittery Joe's, Yaroslav Popovych (UKR
) winner of the Best Young Rider award at the 2005 Tour de France, and
Viatcheslav Ekimov (RUS), the 2000 Olympic Games time trial gold
medalist and 14-time veteran of the Tour de France. |
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Danielson, Tom |
(USA) |
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Popovych, Yaroslav |
(UKR) |
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Barry, Michael |
(CAN) |
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Brajkovic, Janez |
(SLO) |
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Ekimov, Viacheslav |
(RUS) |
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Lowe, Trent |
(AUS) |
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Martinez, Egoi |
(ESP) |
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McCartney, Jason |
(USA) |
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Team CSC was the top-ranked UCI ProTour team in 2005 and brings a strong
team to Georgia for the third consecutive year. This Danish team will
bring American David Zabriskie to Georgia, a General Classification
contender who wore the yellow jersey in the 2005 Tour de France and won
the Stage 8 individual time trial in the Giro d'Italia. Danish teammate
Brian Vandborg returns to try for another stage win at the Ford Tour de
Georgia. |
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Johansen, Allan |
(DEN) |
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Vandborg, Brian |
(DEN) |
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Muller, Christian |
(GER) |
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Zabriskie, David |
(USA) |
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Piil, Jakob |
(DEN) |
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Klostergaard, Kasper |
(DEN) |
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Bak, Lars |
(DEN) |
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Pedersen, Martin |
(DEN) |
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The Swiss-based Phonak Hearing Systems team, ranked No. 2 overall in
2005 on the ProTour, features American Floyd Landis. Landis has hit form
early this year winning both Paris-Nice and the inaugural Amgen Tour of
California. He finished third overall in the 2005 Tour de Georgia,
including a win in the individual time trial. |
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Clerc, Aurélien |
(SUI) |
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Gutierrez, Ignacio |
(ESP) |
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Hunter, Robert |
(RSA) |
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Landis, Floyd |
(USA) |
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Oliveira, Luis |
(ESP) |
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Stadler, Florian |
(SUI) |
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Tschopp, Johann |
(SUI) |
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VIitoria, David |
(SUI) |
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Belgian giant Team Quick Step-Innergetic came away with at least one
stage win in all three of the Grand Tours and five of the Classics last
year, and also has the current world champion titles for time trial and
road racing. Quick Step has sponsored professional cycling teams in
Europe for years, and its teams have competed in the Tour de France for
six consecutive years. The Ford Tour de Georgia marks the first big race
on American soil for the Quick Step team. The Quick Step USA brand is
now part of Mohawk Industries, the official flooring sponsor of the Ford
Tour de Georgia. |
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Bramati, Davide |
(ITA) |
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Chicchi, Francesco |
(ITA) |
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Rosseler, Sebastien |
(BEL) |
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Scarselli, Leonardo |
(ITA) |
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Trenti, Guido |
(USA) |
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Van De Walle, Jurgen |
(BEL) |
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Verheyen, Geert |
(BEL) |
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Wielinga, Remmert |
(NED) |
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Ranked No. 4 on the ProTour last year, Davitamon-Lotto is a new team to
the Ford Tour de Georgia. The Belgium-based team will showcase speed at
this year's Tour, having Australian Robbie McEwen leading the way.
McEwen is in his 11th professional season and has won 16 Grand Tour
stages. Also look for American sprinter Fred Rodriguez, returning for
what promises to be an exciting follow-up to his 2003 Tour de Georgia
visit where he won two stages. The team also has Australian Henk Vogels,
who also won a stage in 2003 while riding for an opposing team.
|
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Gates, Nick |
(AUS) |
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Kuyckx, Jan |
(BEL) |
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Rodriguez, Fred |
(USA) |
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Van Hecke, Preben |
(BEL) |
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Vogels, Henk |
(AUS) |
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Ingels, Nic |
(BEL) |
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Kaisen, Olivier |
(BEL) |
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McEwen, Robbie |
(AUS) |
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This strong Spanish team finished the 2005 campaign ranked No. 7 on the
ProTour. Prodir-Saunier Duval will bring two newcomers to their roster
this year, American Aaron Olson, and Charles Dionne, the Canadian
National Champion and two-time winner of the San Francisco Gran Prix.
|
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Dionne, Charles |
(CAN) |
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Olson, Aaron |
(USA) |
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Pagliarini, Luciano |
(BRA) |
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Pinotti, Marco |
(ITA) |
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Mazur, Peter |
(POL) |
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Gomez, Angel "Litu" |
(ESP) |
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Duran, Arkaitz |
(ESP) |
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Fernandez, Alberto |
(ESP) |
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Health Net presented by Maxxis has been one of the top squads in the
U.S. with a Professional Continental ranking and will return to showcase
their strong talent again this year. Health Net brings leader Gord
Fraser of Canada, who is a multiple stage winner at the Tour de Georgia,
and New Zealand's Greg Henderson, who won last year's Maxxis Sprint
leader's jersey. New to Health Net for 2006 is Nathan O'Neill, multiple
Australian time trial champion and third-place podium finisher at the
2003 Tour de Georgia. |
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Fraser, Gordon |
(CAN) |
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Henderson, Gregory |
(NZL) |
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Louder, Jeffry |
(USA) |
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Menzies, Karl |
(AUS) |
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O'Bee, Kirk |
(USA) |
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Ollerenshaw, Doug |
(USA) |
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O'Neill, Nathan |
(AUS) |
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Roulston, Hayden |
(NZL) |
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The Navigators Insurance Cycling Team has been affiliated with the UCI
and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization since 1994, and is another
Professional Continental team based in the U.S.. Navigators returns with
a different look in 2006, and its roster includes Ben Brooks, former
Euro pro and second-place finisher in last year's Stage Two sprint
finish, and Cesar Grajales, the world-class climbing talent who beat
Lance Armstrong on the ascent up Brasstown Bald in 2004. |
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Brooks, Ben |
(AUS) |
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Chadwick, Glen |
(AUS) |
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Davidenko, Vassili |
(RUS) |
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Grajales, Cesar |
(COL) |
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Grichkine, Oleg |
(RUS) |
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Kobzarenko, Valeriy |
(UKR) |
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Lagutin, Sergey |
(UZB) |
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Zajicek, Phil |
(USA) |
|
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This is the fourth year for a pro team from Colavita. The team features
2004 USPRO Champion Mark McCormack and the team has signed five new
riders. |
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McCormack, Mark |
(USA) |
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Rapinski, Viktor |
(BLR) |
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Frattini, Davide |
(ITA) |
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Artacho, Gustavo |
(ARG) |
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Herriott, Todd |
(USA) |
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Page, Jonathan |
(USA) |
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Wren, Tyler |
(USA) |
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Grabowski, Zak |
(USA) |
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One of the mainstays for American cycling for the past seven years has
been Jelly Belly. The team will be lead by veterans Dave McCook, Kirk
Albers, and Alex Candelario. |
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Candelario, Alex |
(USA) |
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Albers, Kirk |
(USA) |
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Bajadali, Andrew |
(USA) |
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Jones, Brice |
(USA) |
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Reistad, Nick |
(USA) |
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Jensen, Brian |
(DEN) |
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Rice, Matty |
(AUS) |
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Manion, Caleb |
(AUS) |
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Georgia's own Jittery Joe's-Zero Gravity Pro Cycling Team returns and
has many new faces on a familiar team. Two Australians on the squad are
Trent Wilson and Peter Hatton. Wilson is a climber who has finished the
last two Giro d'Italia races, riding last year for Colombia-Selle
Italia, and Hatton was a KOM winner at the 2005 Herald Sun Tour. |
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Hopkins, Jeffery |
(AUS) |
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Wilson, Trent |
(AUS) |
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Hatton, Peter |
(AUS) |
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Elken, Evan |
(USA) |
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King, Austin |
(USA) |
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Shirley, Neil |
(USA) |
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Wong, Philip |
(USA) |
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Anderson, Marc |
(USA) |
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In its second year of racing, this team has six team members returning
from the 2005 campaign, and has added six newcomers. Veteran climber and
former Canadian National Champion, Dominique Perras and Ben
Jacques-Maynes, a former collegiate national champion and overall winner
at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in 2004, headline the returning riders.
|
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Anthony, Jesse |
(USA) |
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Dietrich, Michael |
(USA) |
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Jacques-Maynes, Ben |
(USA) |
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Lopinto, Peter |
(USA) |
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Perras, Dominique |
(CAN) |
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Schmatz, Dan |
(USA) |
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Stewart, Jackson |
(USA) |
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Zwizanski, Scott |
(USA) |
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TARGETRAINING is a new U.S. Continental team for 2006. TARGETRAINING
will focus on the U.S. national race calendar circuit and brings an
experienced roster of racers to Georgia. The team has climbing
specialist Anthony Colby and sprinter Alejandro (aka Ale-jet) Acton of
Argentina. |
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Greenfield, Daniel |
(USA) |
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Colby, Anthony |
(USA) |
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Pipp, Frank |
(USA) |
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Acton, Alejandro |
(ARG) |
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Wells, Todd |
(USA) |
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Blickem, Ryan |
(USA) |
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Hartman, Wesley |
(USA) |
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MacBurnie, Dustin |
(CAN) |
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Now in its third year, Team TIAA-CREF is America's Youngest Professional
cycling team, and with an average age of 23, Team TIAA-CREF is actually
the youngest professional cycling team in the world. The 2006 team
roster includes 2001 World Champion Danny Pate, formerly of Team Jelly
Belly; Ian MacGregor, 2-time U23 National Champion; and powerhouse Craig
Lewis. |
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Peterson, Thomas |
(USA) |
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Lange, Michael |
(USA) |
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Euse, Lucas |
(USA) |
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Bowman, Dan |
(USA) |
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Duggan, Timothy |
(USA) |
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Frischkorn, William |
(USA) |
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Lewis, Craig |
(USA) |
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Huff, Brad |
(USA) |
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Toyota-United Pro exploded on the cycling scene during the 2006 Amgen
Tour of California when Juan Jose Haedo of Argentina sprinted for two
stage wins and a second-place finish within a single short week. Other
big names on that new team are Ivan Dominguez, who wore the yellow
jersey in the 2004 Tour de Georgia, current USPRO National Road Champion
Chris Wherry, and strongman Antonio Cruz. |
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Baldwin, Chris |
(USA) |
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Friedick, Mariano |
(USA) |
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Blackgrove, Heath |
(NZL) |
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Cruz, Antonio |
(USA) |
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Haedo, Juan |
(ARG) |
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Stevic, Ivan |
(SCG) |
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England, Justin |
(USA) |
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Sullivan, Sean |
(AUS) |
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