List of Riders Amgen Tour of California 2016

The Riders - a complete list of competitors

The rider startlist and bib numbers have been finalized and made available by ProCyclingStats.com, a day after quite a different startlist was released by Amgen Tour of California media personnel. Whomever starts on Sunday morning is now committed to ride their way to Sacramento (no more changing the roster!).

The official 2016 startlist of riders (rider roster, squads) has not yet been released by organizers of the Amgen Tour of California, but I got impatient because I am headed to the race tomorrow. However on the ProCyclingStats.com startlist of riders you can click on each name and see a photo of the rider and their palmares (the career race history), a great way to get familiar with who will be racing at the Tour of California.

​Through reading news reports and rider twitter accounts (some are already in California training pre race), I can add to the list of riders who will be racing in California at the 2016 Amgen Tour of California this week. ATOC typically leaves the announcement of the startlists until just before the start as teams formalize their squads having recovered from recent illnesses or races.

Team rider startlists

There will be a thrilling list of riders to compete in California this week. Tom Boonen is coming to California!! Julian Allaphilippe will be returning in 2016, he won the best young rider jersey in 2015 and won the stage to Mt Baldy. Peter Sagan is coming back with his teammate and brother Juraj Sagan. Mark Cavendish and Bradely Wiggins will both return in 2016. Team BMC has an action packed team, their red jerseys should be a frequent sight on the podium.

I am super excited to see Tom Boonen and Mark Renshaw race again and am looking forward to watching the other powerful sprinters including Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin), Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data), Ben Swift (SKY), John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin), Niccolo Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo), Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie), Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo), Brad Huff (Rally), Rob Britton (Rally), Robin Carpenter (Holowesko-Citadel), Wouter Wippert (Cannondale), Travis McCabe (Holowesko-Citadel), and John Murphy (UHC).

Because I am a huge fan of the Spring Classics I will be like a giddy fan to see Greg van Avermaet, John Degenkolb, Alexander Kristoff, Zdenek Stybar and Tom Boonen in California. I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near them in Belgium; which also stands true for Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins. I also look forward to watching the young Axeon Hagens Berman team and observing the French riders on Team Direct Energie enjoy their time in California. Although 'enjoy' is a loose term once they experience the tough level of competition in this tour.

Recommended Read: Preview: What you need to know about the 2016 Amgen Tour of California, by Neal Rogers. Who writes, "Sagan returns to the race that he’s done every year since 2010, along the way compiling a total of 13 stage wins (a record),five points jerseys (a record), one best young rider’s competition (2010), and one overall victory." "Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), a nine-time California stage winner and two-time points classification winner."

Pedal Dancer Race Preview for 2016 Tour of California on TourChaser.com: tourchaser.com/race-preview-atoc

FULL  STARTLIST - 2016 Amgen Tour of California, 144 riders to compete:* to be updated with bib numbers after the official announcement of the ATOC startlist. 

Tinkoff
1 Sagan, Peter
2 Baška, Erik
3 Blythe, Adam
4 Gatto, Oscar
5 Gogl, Michael
6 Kolar, Michael
7 Sagan, Juraj
8 Trusov, Nikolay

Etixx - Quick Step
11 Allaphilippe, Julian
12 Boonen, Tom
13 Bouet, Maxime
14 Maes, Nikolas
15 Richeze, Ariel Maximilliano
16 Stybar, Zdenek
17 Vakoc, Petr
18 Velitz, Martin

Team Sky
21 Kennaugh, Peter
22 Fenn, Andrew
23 Kiyrienka, Vasil
24 Moscon, Gianni
25 Nordhaug, Lars Petter
26 Peters, Alex
27 van Poppel, Danny
28 Zandio, Xabier

Dimension Data
31 Cavendish, Mark
32 Brammeier, Matthew
33 Eisel, Bernhard
34 Farrar, Tyler 
35 Nathan Haas
36 Janse van Rensburg, Jacques
37 Renshaw, Mark
38 Teklehaimanot, Daniel

Team Katusha
41 Kristoff, Alexander
42 Guarnieri, Jacopo
43 Haller, Marco
44 Isaychev, Vladimir
45 Machado, Tiago
46 Mørkøv, Michael
47 Restrepo, Jhonatan
48 van den Broeck, Jurgen

BMC Racing Team
51 Bookwalter, Brent
52 Dennis, Rohan
53 Drucker,Jean-Pierre
54 Phinney, Taylor
55 Sánchez, Samuel
56 Schar, Michael
57 Van Avermaet, Greg
58 Wyss, Danilo

Team Wiggins
61 Wiggins, Bradley
62 Christian, Mark
63 Doull, Owain
64 Kelly, Jake
65 Latham, Christopher
66 Patten, Daniel
67 Tennant, Andrew
68 Thompson, Michael

Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
71 Talansky, Andrew
72 Bevin, Patrick
73 Craddock, Lawson
74 Gaimon, Phillip
75 King, Benjamin
76 Marangoni, Alan
77 Skujiņš, Toms
78 Wippert, Wouter

Trek - Segafredo
81 Stetina, Peter
82 Arredondo, Julián David
83 Bernard, Julien
84 Bonifazio, Niccolo
85 Irizar, Markel
86 Reijnen, Kiel
87 Stuyven, Jasper
88 Zubeldia, Haimar

Direct Energie
91 Coquard, Bryan
92 Anderson, Ryan
93 Duchesne, Antoine
95 Nauleau, Bryan
96 Petit, Adrien
97 Sicard, Romain
98 Tulik, Angelo

Team Giant - Alpecin
101 Degenkolb, John
102 Kragh Andersen, Søren
103 Curvers, Roy
104 de Kort, Koen
105 Sinkeldam, Ramon
106 Fairly, Caleb
107 Skjøstad Lunke, Sindre
108 ten Dam, Laurens

Team LottoNL - Jumbo
111 Groenewegen, Dylan
112 Bennett, George
113 Roosen, Timo
114 Teunissen, Mike
115 van Widen, Dennis
116 Vermeulen, Alexey
117 Wagner, Robert
118 Wynants, Maarten

UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
121 Brajkovic, Janez
122 Canolo, Mario
123 Clarke, Jonathan
124 Eaton, Daniel
125 Jaramillo, Daniel Alexander
126 Jones, Christopher
127 Murphy, John,
128 Putt, Tanner

Axeon Hagens Berman (U23 team)
131 Geoghegan Hart, Tao
132 Barta, Will
133 Curran, Geoffrey
134 Daniel, Greg
135 Guerreiro, Ruben
136 Neilands, Krists
137 Owen, Logan
138 Powless, Nielson

Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
141 Morton, Lachlan David
142 Cheyne, Jordan 
143 Morton, Angus
144 Putt, Chris
145 Rathe, Jacob
146 Sheehan, Michael
147 Sheldon, Taylor
148 Wolfe, Ben

Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team
151 Carpenter, Robin
152 Clark, Oscar
153 Flaksis, Andzs
154 Hornbeck, Jonathan
155 Krasilnikau, Andrei
156 Lewis, Joe
157 Squire, Rob
158 McCabe, Travis

Team Novo Nordisk
161 Clancy, Stephen
162 Henttala, Joonas
163 Lozano, David
164 Megias Leal, Javier
165 Peron, Andrea
166 Planet, Charles
167 Verschoor, Martijn
168 Williams, Christopher

Rally Cycling
171 Anthony, Jesse
172 Britton, Rob
173 De Vos, Adam
174 Huffman, Evan
175 Nalo, Patrick
176 Oronte, Emerson
177 Pate, Danny
178 Routley, Will

All of these riders will be racing again in 2016: (All Photos ©Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer®)

American Brent Bookwalter (BMC).

Latvian Tom Skujins (Cannondale).  

From the U.K. (Isle of Man) Mark Cavendish (now with Dimension Data). 

Australian Rohan Dennis (BMC).

American Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data). 

Slovakian Peter Sagan (Tinkoff). 

American Taylor Phinney (BMC).

American Lawson Craddock (now with Cannondale).

American Logan Owen (Axeon Hagens Berman).

Mark Renshaw (now with Dimension Data).

Julian Allaphilippe (Etixx-Quickstep).

Laurens ten Dam (now with Giant-Alpecin).

WHO WILL WEAR BIB #1 IN 2016?

It is tradition that the previous year's overall stage winner, if returning to the race in the current year, wear the #1 jersey. His team being recognized as the first team, thus wear #1-8. The other teams are ordered according to race organizers preference, eighteen teams total with eight riders each. At the Tour of California, as is usual, you will see the ProTour teams listed on the roster before the Pro Continental or Continental teams.

Peter Sagan will wear #1 on his jersey at the Tour of California. He will be racing hard in 2016 to wear #1 again in 2017.

More Pedal Dancer® race coverage 2016:

• You probably don't remember me, but
• Women's teams and startlist for Tour of California
• Race Preview for 2016 Tour of California on TourChaser.com: tourchaser.com/race-preview-atoc
• List of Riders Amgen Tour of California 2016
• The order of jerseys
• Taking photos at the race, and being Media 
• Top 22 tips to see the Amgen Tour of California
• How to watch the Tour of California Live in 2016
• Team jerseys and team bikes at the Tour of California
• Bikes, Equipment and Clothing at the Tour of California
• Classification jerseys for the 2016 Tour of California
• 10 UCI WorldTour Teams to compete in California
• Stage Route and Maps Tour of California 2016
• Profile Maps for the Tour of California 2016
• Tour of California Host City activities: Stages 1-4 PART I
• Tour of California Host City activities: Stages 4-8 PART II
• Tour of California Spectator Guide Page

2014 Paris-Roubaix

La Reine or Queen of the Classics, the Hell of the North or l’enfer du nord,

How to watch the Paris-Roubaix

In person. Really there is no better way, but for those of us located 1/4 to 1/2 way around the road from northern France, we'll have to resort to traditional methods - online. Remember how last week I recommended waking up early to watch the Tour of Flanders, well this Sunday plan to wake even earlier.

Carrefour de l'arbre  Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer®

When it comes to the Paris-Roubaix you can count on crashes, and riders who woke up fully intending to finish the race and instead find themselves left behind in the dust of a cobbled path in France. All this happens well before the sleepy-heads in America wake up. So don't miss out - wake up early and check the usual suspects for links:

Where to watch the race:

• CyclingFans.com/Paris-Roubaix (live links provided)
• Steephill.TV/Paris-Roubaix  (select a Eurosport link for English coverage)
• Cycling.TV (paid $29.99 for 3 months) 
• NBC Sports (Cale TV - United States; Live online at 7am) 
• A.S.O. Live ticker (text updates) 

You can also pay via Cycling.TV, but I usually watch the free links. I like to juggle between two open browsers and play ping-pong x'ing out the ads so I don't miss any coverage during commercial breaks. I also read text updates for breakaway time gaps and placement of riders. I don't read Twitter anymore, annoys the heck out of me with the same people tweeting the same news, I would much rather watch the scenery and real race action.

Parcours of 2014 Paris-Roubaix

When to watch the race:

• Start time: Sunday April 13 10:15 CET (2:15:00 AM MDT)
• Earliest live video: 12:50 CET (4:50:00 AM MDT)
• Approximate finish: 16:50 CET (8:50:00 AM MDT)

Race Facts:

• April 13, 2014, (1 week before Easter Sunday this year)
• 112th edition
• 25 teams, 8 riders each, 200 riders
• Compeigne to Roubaix in France
• 257 kilometers
• 5,886,720 cobblestones
• The 3rd of 5 monuments in the classics season

Race details:

• Paris-Roubaix map, timetable, profile, cobble secteurs
• The leaders should be on the secteur pavé de la Trouée d'Arenberg at 14h15 CEST (08:15 EDT, 06:15 MDT)
• The race leaders should Entrée du vélodrome at 16h31 CEST (10:31 EDT, 08:31 MDT)
• Rider Startlist & teams at ProCycling Stats

Race Previews Paris-Roubaix 2014:

• C-Cyling
• Pez Cycling
• Team SKY Guide to the Paris-Roubix

Route marker   Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer®

Podium in 2013:

Fabian Cancellara (SUI) RLT
Sep Vanmarcke (BEL) BLA
Niki Terpstra (NED) OPQ

Previous Winners:

2013 Fabian CANCELLARA
2012 Tom BOONEN
2011 Johan VANSUMMEREN
2010 Fabian CANCELLARA
2009 Tom BOONEN
2008 Tom BOONEN
2007 Stuart O’GRADY
2006 Fabian CANCELLARA
2005 Tom BOONEN

Interest:

Teams reconned the course on Thursday (video: French, 03:13)
Best Of Paris-Roubaix 2013 (video: English, 03:02)
Organizers rate 28 cobbled sectors of Paris-Roubaix, By VeloNews
How to pronounce Compeigne Pronunciation

Bikes:

Bike Modifications for Paris-Roubaix, By Cycling Tips 
Interview: Scott Sunderland on Roubaix tech of the past decade, By Bike Radar

Walking into the Arenberg Forest on race day. Photo by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer®

This race is guaranteed excitement!

Time to revisit my post from 2012 (story and photos) when I took a long anticipated trip to see the Paris-Roubaix in person: I was a fan at the Paris-Roubaix (including driving instructions on how to get to the Arenberg Forest and Carrefour de l'Abre). It is times like this that I am so happy I write a blog so that I can go back and read what happened that day, strange how memories fade overtime. It sure sounds like I had a blast being a fan in the Arenberg forest and Le Carrefour de l'Arbre, more at: Stories from Belgium. Also see: I went to Belgium and took pictures of cobbles (photos from Le Carefour de l'Abre). Or A Brief History of the Paris-Roubaix

This year I thought I would share photos from the day I visited the Roubaix Velodrome:

All photos below by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer®

When you know you are on the route of the Paris-Roubaix

This is the final sector of pave before the Roubaix Velodrome. I can't imagine the thrill for the first rider hitting this section.

As you walk along the cobbles, commemorative pave stones to past victors have been inserted

The inserted stones are a virtual walk of fame

I hope the year '2012' has been added to Tom's stone by now

After the last cobbled sector, the riders take a sharp right onto this last paved section leading into the velodrome ahead.

They race past this sign on the left to the famed Velodrome Club House

Leaving the Club House behind and all it's occupants at the bar

This is what every rider has dreamed of seeing first (without the car and rider of course). This is the entrance to the Roubaix Velodrome.

The roar of the crowd is now deafening as they make the right sweeping corner into the Roubaix Velodrome

Around the track they go

Making history on this surface

Using everything they have

Towards the bleachers and beyond

Across the new coat of paint and the fans standing on the hillside

It seems huge and yet so small

Looping around the green grass of the outdoor velodrome

The goal is that line, in front of all the fans

This line; where dreams are realized.

Then they will get their name on the wall above the bar in the Club House de Roubaix (and one of those nice paving stones with their name on it)

They will get a smaller version of this as a trophy.

And a well-deserved shower.

And their friends will buy their beer for the rest of their life (this one is inside the Club House)

See more of my photos from I was a fan at the Paris-Roubaix in the Arenberg forest. More info on the Pedal Dancer Page: SPRING CLASSICS

I was there!

If you go to a bike race in France in spring - be sure to bring a flag. I love this photo I found on Cycling Tips from 2012. This is the mood of the Paris-Roubaix:

And this one presented by Cycling Tips in a collection of photos: Paris-Roubaix: Moments in History

Sunday's race should be dry without rain and mud, which means dust!

The 2014 Tour of Flanders

Big Day tomorrow in Belgium!

I had a friend ask me the other day, "How can I watch the Tour of Flanders?" I was going to begin my answer with - "Set your alarm for really early, get up, put on your bathrobe and slippers, make a big pot of coffee, grab a waffle to set the mood, and settle in to one of the best races of the pro season." But instead I gave a real answer, which was - "Go to CyclingFans.com or Steephill.TV, search for the race name Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen), click the link and then scroll down the page for live links."

Watch Tour of Flanders Live (links)
http://www.cyclingfans.com/ronde-van-vlaanderen/live
http://www.steephill.tv/classics/tour-of-flanders/

For English, select a Eurosport link or SKY link. I also recommend following live text updates on CyclingNews. To really know which climb they are on at the moment, refer to the official race website (even though it is not in English):

When to watch:
Start time: Sunday April 6 10:45 CET (2:45AM MDT)
Earliest live video: 12:00 CET (4:00:00 AM MDT)
Approximate finish: 16:41 CET (8:41:00 AM MDT)

I used to write up full race previews, but these days so many others do such a great job, I will simply refer you to the best resources I know: 

Route / Track / Parcours

Link to RVV route map and profile

Facts
200 riders, 25 teams, 8 riders each
Start: Brugge  -  Finish: Oudenaarde
Official Ronde van Vlaanderen Website
Flanders App
Live Wierlrennen 
Startlist & Top 15 Favorites via ProCycling Stats
Timetable 
Key climbs of the Tour of Flanders (Steephill.TV)
If it seems like they are going over the Kwaremont three times, it is because they are; the Paterberg is featured only twice this year. 

Race Preview
Team SKY race guide
C-Cycling preview (same as Cycling Tips)
Cycling Central
Top 10 Riders To Watch At The Tour Of Flanders GCN
Climb by Bike map of Ronde van Vlaanderen

Interviews
Boonen, Cancellara and Sagan on Tour of Flanders
Tom Boonen interview about the "Old Kwaremont"
Tom Boonen interview about the "Patterberg" 

Bike Set-ups 
Peter Sagan's Cannondale bike for the 2014 Tour of Flanders
Pro bike: Taylor Phinney's BMC GF01
Gerald Ciolek’s Trek Domane SRAM RED 22 
Bikes and Gear for the 2014 Tour of Flanders 

Interest
Excellent Edition of Ronde van Vlaanderen Sportive
Fabian Cancellara is flesh and blood like the rest of us, By Matthew Beaudin

Results from 2013
1. Fabian Cancellara
2. Peter Sagan
3. Jurgen Roelandts 

And here is my tip on how to drive from the start in Brugge to the Kwaremont the back way and avoid traffic (from my trip to the Tour of Flanders in 2012, note the exact race route has changed since then): Stories from Belgium. And story from the day: A day on the Kwaremont.

I have such great memories of being at the Tour of Flanders in Belgium in 2012. I bought a VIP pass so I could get great access to the teams before the race start in Brugge. They treated us to an enormous breakfast first, which was the perfect way to begin the long day. Later a four-course dinner in the city of Kortrijk and a Westmalle Triple, was the perfect way to end one of the best days I have ever had being a fan of cycling.

 All Photos below by Karen Rakestraw of Pedal Dancer
 
At the start of the RVV in Brugge, it was so exciting to be there.

t'Zand square in Brugge on the morning of Tour of Flanders

Looking at bikes

And people

And teams

And riders

And cobble secteurs

I almost got run over by Fabian Cancellara just before the race started. Then I drove south from Brugge ...

And parked in a field in Belgium, hosted by some nice neighbors near the Kwaremont.

I waited on the Kwaremont with the fans for the peloton to arrive

To watch Tom Boonen on the cobbles

First time up the Oude Kwaremont

Watching the TV between laps (This is The ChainStays TV for their clients)

Second time up the Kwaremont

Narrow cobbles as the line of team cars rushed by

Waiting in between laps on the Kwaremont

Third time up Kwaremont

And then we all walked over to the nearby field to watch the free public large screen TV

And saw Tom Boomen eventually win the 2012 Tour of Flanders. A huge cheer rung out.

I can't wait for the race tomorrow!

2014 Tour of Flanders Race Results:
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Ronde_van_Vlaanderen_2014 
2014 Tour of Flanders Gallery by Tim De Waele

“You want to show you’re the strongest. And then when you win and you have this feeling, this new experience … tactics and feelings and mentality and power and luck and so many things, and it’s just something beautiful.” ~ Fabian Cancellara