Bradley Wiggins leads a strong squad as Team Sky make their long-awaited return to the Tour of California.

The popular American stage race sits as a major target for Wiggins, who touches down in the Golden State buoyed by a strong performance at Paris-Roubaix and an encouraging outing at the Giro del Trentino.

Three Americans will also return home for the eight-day event (May 11-18) with Ian Boswell, Joe Dombrowski and Danny Pate relishing the chance to race in front of a home crowd.

Nathan Earle, Josh Edmondson, Christian Knees and Luke Rowe will complete the squad on the start line in Sacramento.

2014 marks the second time Team Sky have competed at the Tour of California, with both Ben Swift and Greg Henderson winning stages and holding the race lead back in 2011.

Bradley Wiggins said: “I’m really looking forward to riding the Tour of California. It's an important event for the team and we want to put in a good performance in front of the American fans and our co-owners 21st Century Fox.”

“Riding in California is definitely something different and a nice alternative to the traditional racing programme in Europe. There are a lot of passionate cycling fans in the States and this is one of the only chances we get to ride in front of them, on their roads. We’re all looking forward to it.”

Team Sky roster for Amgen Tour of California consists of:

Bradley Wiggins, Christian Knees, Danny Pate, Ian Boswell, Joe Dombrowski, Josh Edmondson, Luke Rowe and Nathan Earle.