Cannondale-Garmin announced its 2015 Tour de France line-up this Monday, a squad built around overall classification contender Andrew Talansky, with Irishman Dan Martin and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal riding in wildcard roles. Dutch rider Sebastian Langeveld will serve as road captain, with Finnish-born Brit Charly Wegelius in the position of team director.

"The way the Tour has gone in the last few years, it's showed that spreading risk is probably a prudent thing to do, so coming to the race with three top level riders is a good thing to do. I think that if you look at the history of the team they've relied on performing well as a group with several riders at a high level without having one sole leader. So I think that's maybe the thinking with that," director Charly Wegelius explained during the pre-race press conference on Thursday.

General manager Jonathan Vaughters added that every Cannondale-Garmin rider would have their opportunity to play their card. "This year we have the luxury of playing a much looser tactic than we have in a couple of years. This year I think everyone on the team comes in after having a bit of a rocky spring and we don't know exactly who will pop up and who will not so I think everyone will have a chance in this Tour. We're going to race each day as it comes."

After a bad spring, Andrew Tolansky won this year the United States time trial title. He finished also 10th in the overall of Critérium du Dauphiné. "I didn't have the spring that I wanted and once that you're into the spring you can't change, but with nationals in the US I got things back on track. The Dauphiné was another step in that direction. I wasn't 100 per cent at that race but it was three weeks ago and it's another ten days until we get to the mountains of the Tour. I would say from my personal feelings, okay I won the Dauphiné last year but I actually feel better now and I think there's more of a progression. I feel fresher for what's to come. I'm a lot less stressed, that's for sure."