BISSELL
Based in Delton, Mich.
Circuit: UCI Continental
About: Ben Jacques-Maynes of Watsonville has been around the domestic pro cycling scene for many years and he'll lead a squad that consistently reached race podiums throughout the 2009 season and during the early 2010 season ... Jacques-Maynes finished third in the 2007 Tour of California (TOC) prologue and won six races in 2009 and also finished second to Lance Armstrong in the Nevada City Classic in 2009 ... This season, Jacques-Maynes won the three-event Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic ... Paul Mach, Rob Britton and Jeremy Vennell have had strong spring seasons and will provide key teamwork ... Mach won twice at the Sea Otter Classic in April; Vennell was also victorious in the Monterey Peninsula event and Britton finished second in the final stage of the recent Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. Vennell placed 26th overall last in the TOC, the team's highest general classification finish.
What's with the name: Bissell is a vacuum and home-cleaning products manufacturer.
BMC
Based in Santa Rosa
Circuit: UCI Pro Continental
About: Now in its fifth season, the team has arrived. In addition to its position in the TOC, it will simultaneously have a team in the Tour of Italy. And in July, BMC will make its Tour de France debut ... George Hincapie, who supported Lance Armstrong in all of his seven Tour de France wins, was a key lead-out rider for British sprinter Mark Cavendish last year in the TOC for Columbia-HTC, now HTC Columbia ... Hincapie's gone, opting for BMC whose president, Jim Ochowicz, helped mentor the rider's early career ... The reigning USPro National road titlist, Hincapie won stage 7 of the 2008 TOC and finished third in stage 8 and 15th overall in 2009. He was also fourth overall in 2006 ... While overall team leader Cadel Evans is currently competing in the Tour of Italy with key teammates, the squad riding in the TOC will have a good strong mix of American and Swiss riders, most notably versatile American stage racers Jackson Stewart and Chad Beyer.
What's with the name: BMC is a bicycle manufacturer in Switzerland.
CERVELO (SWITZERLAND)
Based in Switzerland
Circuit: UCI Pro Continental
About: Debuted in 2009 when Carlos Sastre of Spain surprisingly left CSC-Saxo Bank to join the upstart team after winning the 2008 Tour de France ... Sastre is the consummate Grand Tour rider currently competing in the Tour of Italy. He has 20 grand tour finishes, including nine straight Tour de France editions ... Heinrich Haussler of Germany, who won the 13th stage of the 2009 Tour de France, has missed most of the spring season with an injured quadriceps tendon, but will return at the TOC ... Theo Bos of the Netherlands is a five-time track world titlist now fully immersed into road cycling as a strong sprinter ... Brett Lancaster of Australia and Dominique Rollin of Canada, 33rd overall in 2009 in the TOC, are strong riders who'll seek stage wins.
What's with the name: Cervelo is a bicycle manufacturer and component supplier based in Canada
FLY V AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIA)
Based in Australia
Circuit: UCI Continental
About: Debuted in 2009, Australia's most successful pro team has had a strong 2010 season start with 35 wins divided among 10 of the team's 15 riders ... The TOC squad will comprise four Australians (Jonathan Cantwell, Benjamin Day, Aaron Kemps, Bernie Sulzberger) two South Africans (Darren Lill and Jay Thompson) and veteran North Americans Charles Dionne of Canada and Phil Zaijeck of Boulder, Colo. ... Zaijeck finished third overall at the Tour of the Gila to Levi Leipheimer and Tom Danielson and Lill won the final stage after claiming the overall title the previous week at the Vuelta de Bisbee ... Dionne, a pro since 1999, is the team's senior rider known for long breakaways and had 2002 and 2004 titles in now-defunct San Francisco Grand Prix ... Fly V Australia claimed 94 wins in 2009 and with its strong season to date in 2010 hopes to advance to Pro Continental status in 2011.
What's with the name: Fly V Australia is an international airline based in Australia
GARMIN-TRANSITIONS
Based in Boulder, Colo.
Circuit: ProTour
About: The combined sponsored team will feature six Americans, a Canadian and a veteran Russian sprinter ... David Zabriskie has won stages in all three Grand Tours and he's had strong overall results at TOC, including second for the second time last year, 36 seconds behind Levi Leipheimer. Zabriskie has also finished 6th overall (2008) and second in the inaugural TOC year (2006) ... Steven Cozza of Petaluma will ride in the TOC for the fourth straight year. He's finished 65th, 64th and 44th overall as a domestique ... Thomas Peterson of North Bend, Wash., won the opening stage of the 2009 TOC and he'll be joined by veteran American Tom Danielson of Boulder, Colo., and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal, both Grand Tour veterans. Look for South African Robbie Hunter, a former Tour de France stage winner, on the podium in sprint stages.
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