Garmin-Sharp has presented its official 29-rider roster for the 2014 season. The team will be younger than ever before and so goes back to its roots as a squad that develops young talents into world stars.

When Jonathan Vaughters started his Slipstream project which is now known as the Garmin-Sharp WorldTour team, he created a development team in the USA. Since then the team has gone from strength to strength and has become one of the major powerhouses in professional cycling.

In 2014 the team will take a slight step back towards its point of origin by focusing more on the development of young talents and less on established stars. The team used the final day of the year to present its youngest workforce yet.

The team has been very active on the transfer market and has signed several young talents. 21-year-old American Nathan Brown, a two-time U23 National Time Trial champion, Lasse Hansen, an Olympic Gold Medalist (Omnium) and Danish U23 National Road and TT Champion, Dylan Van Baarle, Dutch U23 National Road and TT Champion and two-time winner of Olympia’s Tour, Ben King, former U23 National Road Race and Criterum Champion and Professional National Road Race Champion (an honor he won at just 21 years old,) and Tom-Jelte Slagter, winner of the 2013 Tour Down Under will all ride for the argyle armada in 2014.

The team was once known as a real powerhouse in the cobbled classics but has failed to make an impact in recent years. To strengthen itself in the Northern one-day races, the team has signed Sebastian Langeveld, winner of the 2011 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and top-ten finisher in the 2013 Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and E3 Harelbeke, and he will have the support of past monument winners Johan Vansummeren and Nick Nuyens.

In recent years, the team has turned its attention more towards stage races and climbing and in 2014 they will continue that trend. The campaign will be led by young talents Andrew Talansky and Daniel Martin and 2012 Giro champion Ryder Hesjedal but they will have support from a number of new signings. Janier Acevedo joins the team after having impressed in races like the Tours of California and Utah and the USA Pro Challenge, Andre Cardoso leaves Caja Rural to strengthen the American team and Phil Gaimon will turn professional with the argyle team.

The team has less focus on the sprints but has retained Tyler Farrar, Steele Von Hoff, Raymond Kreder and Koldo Fernandez on their rosters. Young Australian talents Rohan Dennis and Lachlan Morton aim to build on the success they had in their first years on the pro scene and will enjoy the support of veterans like Tom Danielson, David Millar and Fabian Wegmann.

"This is our youngest roster ever, which I'm happy about and proud of," said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO, Slipstream Sports and Team Garmin-Sharp. "It brings us back to the roots of this organization. We have the most talented riders in the world, it's now our job to help them realize that talent and realize their dreams."

Robert Hunter, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde have all retired, Peter Stetina goes to BMC, Martijn Maaskant and Michel Kreder have signed with Unitedhealthcare and Wanty respectively and Alex Rasmussen and Jacob Rathe have both stepped down to continental level. Sebastien Rosseler's future is still up in the air.

Garmin-Sharp will start its season in the Tour Down Under where Dennis is expected to lead the charge.

Garmin-Sharp roster

Janier Acavedo, Jack Bauer, Nathan Brown, Andre Cardoso, Tom Danielson, Thomas Dekker, Rohan Dennis, Caleb Fairly, Tyler Farrar, Koldo Fernandez de Larrea, Phil Gaimon, Nathan Haas, Lasse Hansen, Ryder Hesjedal, Alex Howes, Ben King, Raymond Kreder, Sebastian Langeveld, Dan Martin, David Millar, Lachlan Morton, Ramunas Navardauskas, Nick Nuyens, Tom-Jelte Slagter, Andrew Talansky, Dylan Van Baarle, Johan Vansummeren, Steele Von Hoff and Fabian Wegmann.