French outfit Cofidis on Saturday announced that Sylvain Chavanel would lead its team, which includes four Tour novices, at next month's Tour de France.
Cofidis has placed its faith in the four Tour new boys - including last-minute call-up Herve Duclos-Lassalle - in a team made up of seven Frenchmen and two foreigners. "It is a young team with four riders who will be discovering the Tour de France for the first time," said team manager Eric Boyer. "Some will say this is too much but I think they are ready and that they will handle the fact that the Tour has another dimension than other courses. They will not be perturbed by that." He added: "It is a team formed to win stages and has no ambition in winning the overall race."
Frenchman Chavanel, 28, has won six times this season, including the fifth stage of the Tour of Catalonia last month. The Tour de France runs from July 5 to 27.
Cofidis team for the Tour de France: Sylvain Chavanel (FRA), Stephane Auge (FRA), Florent Brard (FRA), Herve Duclos-Lassalle (FRA), Samuel Dumoulin (FRA), Leonardo Duque (COL), David Moncoutie (FRA), Amael Moinard (FRA), Maxime Monfort (BEL)