On the back of a very strong Tour de France where the team won four stages and established Marcel Kittel on the top of the sprint hierarchy, Argos-Shimano has selected a 12-rider long list for the Vuelta a Espana that doesn't contain any of its star sprinters. Neither Kittel nor John Degenkolb will line up in Spain for the Dutch team which will focus more on development of young talent that stand-out results.

Argos-Shimano may have had a less successful Tour de France last year but since then the team has enjoyed plenty of success in the grand tours with its two star sprinters Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb both taking numerous stage wins. Degenkolb won no less than 5 stages in last year's Vuelta and added to his tally by taking a maiden Giro win earlier this year while Kittel totally dominated the sprints of the recent Tour de France, crossing the line as winner on no less than 4 occasions.

However, the team has no intentions of sending its two star sprinters to the final grand tour, the Vuelta, which instead will serve the team's second important purpose: the development of young talents. Degenkolb has raced both the Giro and the Tour on the back of a hard spring classics campaign while Kittel may be fatigued as he has just finished his first ever grand tour.

Instead, the less-established talents will be given their chance to shine and as usual, the team will put its main emphasis in the sprints. Ramon Sinkeldam impressed in many sprints in the month of May while neo-pro Nikias Arndt has also had his chance in numerous races and both could get their grand tour debut in August. Experienced lead-out man Koen De Kort who raced both the Giro and the Tour could be there to support the youngsters.

For once, the team will include a number of climbers that are unlikely to target the GC but could go on the hunt for stage wins on the hillier days. Tour de l'Avenir winner Warren Barguil has been selected on the back of a strong showing in his first season as a profession while Georg Preidler, Theirry Hupond, Johannes Fröhlinger and Tom Peterson also excel when the going gets tough. Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg and Francois Parisien could both feature in a sprint from a reduced bunch while Will Clarke and Tom Stamsnijder are both reliable domestiques.

“We have a very diverse preselection, with all kinds of riders in the team," sports directot Christian Guiberteau said. "We are chasing stage success with a strong selection that includes young riders who will be getting their first Grand Tour experience. All the riders will be very eager to show their specialty during the race and to contribute to the team’s success."

General manager Iwan Spekenbrink emphasised the number of young riders in the selection.

“Our young talents have developed very well this year and have showed their potential, so they deserve the Vuelta a España selection," he said. "Their selection is for the present and the future: they will contribute to the team’s performance, and the Vuelta will support their further development.”

The team has not announced a date for the publication of its final selection for the race which starts on August 24 with a team time trial in Galicia.

Argos-Shimano long list for the Vuelta:

Ramon Sinkeldam, Nikias Arndt, Koen De Kort, Georg Preidler, Johannes Fröhlinger, Warren Barguil, Thierry Hupond, Tom Peterson, Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg, Francois Parisien, Will Clarke and Tom Stamsnijder