Having previously released a long list, Omega Pharma-Quick Step have announced their roster for the Tour de France. As expected the team is mostly built around Mark Cavendish who will have a formidable lead-out train at his disposal while Michal Kwiatkowski will be the team's GC rider and will be able to count on Michal Golas, Tony Martin and Jan Bakelants for support in the mountains.

A week ago Omega Pharma-Quick Step announced their long list for the Tour de France and made it clear that the final 9-rider roster would be built around Mark Cavendish and Michal Kwiatkowski. Today the team has finalized its selection which is mostly made up of lead-out riders for Cavendish.

All year the Brit has made the first stage of the Tour de France his big target as it finishes close to his mother's house in Harrogate. A win will allow him to wear the yellow jersey for the first time in his career and he even skipped the Giro d'Italia to stay fresh for the French race.

He can count on his formidable lead-out train, with new signings Alessandro Petacchi and Mark Renshaw being the final two riders in the train. Matteo Trentin has been selected for the second year in a row but surprisingly there was no room for Gert Steegmans.

Paris-Roubaix champion Niki Terpstra has also earned a spot on the roster and the Dutchman can both play a role in the lead-out and contribute to the chase work that is needed to ensure bunch sprint finishes.

A second part of the team is built around Kwiatkowski who finished 11th in his debut one year ago. The Pole has had an outstanding season but performed poorly in the Criterium du Dauphiné and underwent medical tests to ensure that nothing was wrong. Apparently, he has been given the green light to start the race.

He will be supported by compatriot Michal Golas who has just come back from a long injury break, and Jan Bakelants whose aggressive performance in the Dauphiné was enough to convince the management that he deserves a spot. After his splendid climbing in the Tour de Suisse, Tony Martin will also be able to lend a hand and the German will of course also focus on the only time trial in the race and lend a hand in the lead-out.

In addition to Steegmans, Thomas De Gendt and Martin Velits who were both on the long list, didn't make the cut. As expected, Tom Boonen who was named as a reserve, is also not on the roster, the Belgian preferring to focus on the Worlds later in the season.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step for the Tour de France:

Jan Bakelants, Mark Cavendish, Michal Golas, Michal Kwiatkowski, Tony Martin, Alessandro Petacchi, Mark Renshaw, Niki Terpstra and Matteo Trentin