BMC RACING TEAM (BMC) - USA

The BMC team was a high-quality UCI Professional Continental Team in 2010 but the US-registered team has secured a UCI ProTeam licence for 2011 and so will ride in the most important races on the UCI WorldTour Calendar this year.

The team is stronger than ever, having retained its leading riders of 2010 and added some important new riders.

Australia's Cadel Evans honoured his World Champion's rainbow jersey with a series of gutsy performances last year. He won Flèche Wallonne and the spectacular stage of the Giro d'Italia on the rain-soaked dirt roads of Tuscany, finishing fifth in the UCI World Ranking for the year.

Evans also wore the race leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France.
Sadly his dream of overall victory was shattered by a crash and the pain of a fractured elbow. However the former mountain biker fought on and finished the Tour, and has promised to again target the Tour de France in 2011.

George Hincapie will again lead the BMC team in the cobbled classics and have a final tilt at winning Paris-Roubaix. Success in the Queen of the classics would be a lifetime achievement award at the end of the American's long career.

BMC's classics team also includes former World Champion Alessandro Ballan, who will be looking to make up for a quiet 2010, fellow Italian Mauro Santambrogio, Germany's Marcus Burghardt and new signings Greg Van Avermaert of Belgium and dependable Italian Manuel Quinziato.

Van Avermaert is a good sprinter and will have more space to target success at BMC, while Quinziato has the experience and mentality needed for when the racing gets tough. In 2011 it will be interesting to see how American riders Jeff Louder, Brent Bookwalter and Chris Butler progress after their first season with BMC in Europe.

New signing and neo-pro Taylor Phinney will be in the spotlight despite being just 20. He has proven his ability on both the track and the road and now steps up to the highest level of the sport to compete against the best in the world.

Expectations are high but Phinney looks to have the ability to be competitive in the sprints, time trials and classics, and the right attitude to go on to be one of the stars of the sport.

LEOPARD TREK (LEO) - LUX

Team Leopard-Trek is a new UCI ProTeam for the 2011 UCI WorldTour but with Andy and Frank Schleck and Fabian Cancellara on its roster, it is certain to be one of the most headlined teams in the peloton.

Several major UCI ProTeams are closely linked with the country they are registered in and Team Leopard-Trek is proud of its Luxembourg roots.
The Schleck brothers were fundamental in the creation of the team, with major backer Flavio Becca hiring General Manager Brian Nygaard and Chief Sports Director Kim Andersen to create the team.

They have done an excellent job, building a high quality team around Cancellara and the Schlecks. Team Leopard-Trek can also count on Stuart O'Grady, Jens Voigt, Maxime Monfort, Fabian Wegmann and Joost Posthuma for the classics, with every rider in the team carefully selected for a specific role.

Andy and Frank Schleck will lead the team at the Tour de France and other stage races but again, Team Leopard-Trek also has the highly talented French climber Brice Feillu, Jakob Fuglsang and Linus Gerdemann. Italy's Daniele Bennati is the team's principal sprinter but Wouter Weylandt is also fast and will be a valuable alternative.

"We have developed our new team, aiming for a fresh and innovative style. Of utmost importance, though, is to take cycling back to its proper roots. It’s all about the racing," Nygaard said.

"With riders on the roster who can win from the first race of the season to the final, we are looking to be competitive in a lot of races. We are not going to win every race, but we are certainly here to make our mark in the biggest events."

MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV) - ESP

Movistar is a new sponsor to cycling for 2011 but has chosen to work with an established team structure managed by Eusebio Unzue, who has played a key role in the Caisse d'Epargne team in recent years.

The new-look jersey has the green Movistar logo prominent on the chest with a blue background. It is a simple but effective look. Pinarello again provide the team bikes, with Movistar the first team to use Campagnolo's electronic gear system.

The team's roster is solid and experienced. Many of the riders rode for Caisse d'Epargne in 2010, with some strategic additions boosting the team for 2011. Movistar has also created a development team, with a focus on South American riders, that will supply new talented riders in the next few years.

Luis Leon Sanchez has opted to move to the Rabobank team but Marzio Bruseghin, Jose Garcia Acosta, Pablo Lastras, Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Ruben Plaza, Mauricio Soler and José Joaquín Rojas Gil all remain and form the solid and dependable core of the team.

New signings include Xavier Tondo, Branislau Samoilau, Francisco Ventoso, talented time trialist Ignatas Konovalovas and Basque rider Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga. Tondo was one the revelations of 2010, winning a stage at Paris-Nice, the overall classification at the Volta a Catalunya and then finishing sixth overall in the Vuelta a España.

«During the first year we will try to do the best we can, but the main objective is to bed in the structure. Then in 2012 we will think about adding some strength by signing other big riders,» explained Unzue.

«Our core strength is the depth in the team. Riders like Arroyo, Rubén Plaza, Tondo, Rojas, Bruseghin, Tondo, Pardilla, Ventoso and Samoilau should enable us to be well represented in all of the big tours.»

VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM (VCD) - NED

The Vacansoleil-DCM team has secured UCI ProTeam status for 2011 after being the most successful UCI Professional Continental Team of 2010.

The team is registered in the Netherlands but main sponsor Vacansoleil is a European holiday company and so the team has an international roster of strength and quality.

Riccardo Ricco, Borut Bozic, Romain Feillu, Matteo Carrara, Johnny Hoogerland, Björn Leukemans, Wouter Mol and Alberto Ongarato all impressed in 2010 and the team has been further strengthened by the arrival of Stijn Devolder. The former Belgian National Champion won the Tour of Flanders in both 2008 and 2009 and in 2010 he won the Tour of Belgium, confirming that he can target both the cobbled classics and stage races.

Ricco’s first major goal of 2011 is the Giro d'Italia. The mountainous route and limited amount of time trials makes him a huge favourite. If the Giro goes well, the Italian climber could also return to the Tour de France.

Feillu, Carrara, Ongarato and Marco Marcato are all quick-thinking riders who can read a race well and then win an eventual sprint. They are bound to make Vacansoleil-DCM's first season in the UCI WorldTour a success.

"In 2009 we were good, in 2010 we were better and in 2011 the team has an enormous potential in many areas", Team Manager Daan Luijkx said.

"Last season we missed the big tours despite excellent performances and some great rides. We want to avoid this in the future by taking the step up to the first division, maintaining our core and by attracting a number of top riders."

TEAM RADIOSHACK (RSH) - USA

Lance Armstrong will ride his final international races with RadioShack in 2011 but the team has a string of talented riders to keep the flag flying throughout the season.

Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Klöden will take over from Armstrong in the three-week long grand tours and toughest stage races, with Chris Horner and Jani Brajkovic also capable of winning hilly stage races.

Klöden is one of the most consistent Tour de France riders of the last decade, while Leipheimer finished third overall at the Tour of California in 2010 following three consecutive victories. Impressive pedigrees.

Brajkovic stunned Alberto Contador by winning the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2010 and the little Slovenian is now ready to step up onto a bigger stage. Horner is 39 but has the enthusiasm of a neo-pro. He won the Vuelta al País Vasco last April by taking the key time trial stage and then finished fourth in the Tour of California. He has the knack of being in the right place at the right time in all the biggest races.

Tiago Machado, Yaroslav Popovych, Jason McCartney, Sergio Paulinho Haimar Zubeldia, Gregory Rast and Sébastien Rosseler form the hard-working backbone of the team.

New signings for 2011 include US National Champion Ben King and Kiwi track talent Jesse Sergent, who have come through the Trek-Livestrong Under 23 development team. Also new to RadioShack are Manuel Cardoso, Philip Deignan and Nelson Oliviera.

Robbie McEwen and Robbie Hunter were late signings to the team but give RadioShack some added firepower in the sprints and will be a dangerous duo which knows how to work together to make sure one of them wins.

SKY PROCYCLING (SKY) - GBR

Team Sky made its debut in 2010, marking the entry of a major British team in the highest echelon of the sport. The team includes many of the best British riders but a selection of talented riders from around the world makes Team Sky a true global team.

Team Manager David Brailsford admitted that the first year was long and hard but the team looks to have learnt some vital lessons and will be stronger and more competitive in 2011.

Bradley Wiggins is the natural figurehead of the team. He finished fourth in the 2009 Tour de France but was unable to repeat that performance in 2010. This year the former Olympic and Track World Champion will target other stage races and follow his racing instincts before focusing on the Tour de France in July. It will be fascinating to see how he performs.

Australia's Simon Gerrans and Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen were slowed by difficult injuries in 2010 but should be back to their best for this year's classics. Boasson Hagen is considered one of most talented riders in the sport and could go on to win both major classics and grand tours. He can count on Spain's Juan Antonio Flecha and Wiggins as role models as he learns and progresses.

Team Sky has some of the best domestiques in the peloton in Steve Cummings, Matthew Hayman, Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Michael Barry, and some of the most promising young British riders: Geraint Thomas showed his British National Champion's jersey on the cobbles during the Tour de France, while Pete Kennaugh, Alex Dowsett, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift all promise much for the future.

Australia's Michael Rogers is the most important signing for 2011. He won the Tour of California in 2010 and brings huge amounts of stage race and time trial experience that should especially help Wiggins and fellow stage race rider Thomas Löfkvist. Other new names wearing the distinctive black and blue jersey are Jeremy Hunt, Christian Knees, Davide Appollonio, Rigoberto Uran and Xabier Zandio.

AG2R LA MONDIALE (ALM) - FRA

Ag2r La Mondiale is the only French UCI ProTeam in 2011 but will be proud to fly the flag for France at races on the UCI WorldTour calendar.

In 2010 the team had another successful season, scoring important victories but also by being protagonists in major races throughout the year.

Nicolas Roche finished fifteenth overall in the Tour de France and then seventh at the Vuelta a España, confirming his excellent temperament for grand tours and other stage races. The Irishman is not a natural climber but his determination and all-around ability make him fascinating to watch as he fights day after day.

Christophe Riblon gave Ag2r La Mondiale a stage victory at the Tour de France in Ax 3 Domaines and is also a key member of the team. The stage was a testing day in the Pyrenees but Riblon was in the key breakaway and then made an incredible solo effort. John Gadret also impressed in stage races, finishing 13th in the Giro d'Italia and 17th in the Tour de France.

Team Manager Vincent Lavenu has again carefully constructed his squad for 2011. Rene Mandri, Nicolas Rousseau, Gatis Smukulis and Ludovic Turpin are no longer in the team but new signings include Romain Lemarchand, Sébastien Minard, former mountain bike racer Jean-Christophe Peraud and Italy's Matteo Montaguti.

"We're really proud to have been selected as part of the first division, as part of the elite of cycling," Lavenu said. "It would have been difficult to accept if we had not made it because we had such a good season in 2010. We might feel a little lonely as the only French team in the biggest races but we'll fight to defend our values and stay at the highest level of the sport."

EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI (EUS) - ESP

The Euskaltel-Euskadi team is far more than just a major cycling team: reflects a whole region and represents a special sporting and cultural identity.

The team was created 1994 and is now one of the oldest teams in professional cycling, yet it boasts support from both young school children and the many passionate cycling fans of the Basque Region.

The bright orange-coloured jersey is a sign of regional pride and the fans gather on the roadside to cheer on the riders during the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, the Tour de France, the Clásica San Sebastián and the Vuelta. They celebrate both cycling and their unique culture.

Only riders born in the Basque region in northern Spain and southern France are allowed to ride for the team, with a rare exception given for riders who have lived in the region for a long time and come through the Euskadi development programme.

The team has been undergoing a gradual rebuilding in recent years but has developed a new generation of riders and secured UCI ProTeam status for 2011.

Beijing Olympic road race gold medallist Samuel Sánchez is still the figurehead and team leader. He is often targeted by other teams but has always opted to stay with Euskaltel-Euskadi.

In 2010 Sánchez won five races and ended the season ranked tenth in the world. He was especially impressive in the Tour de France, finishing fourth overall. He is expected to target the three-week French race again in 2011.

Climber Igor Antón confirmed his huge talent during the Vuelta a España, winning two stages thanks to some aggressive riding. But he was unfortunate to crash at speed and he lost any chance of overall victory. No doubt he will be back for revenge in 2011, when the Vuelta is set to visit the Basque Country for some of the key stages.

Romain Sicard hails from the French part of the Basque Region but is a huge stage race prospect for the future, as are Iñaki Flores, Amets Txurruka and Jonathan Castroviejo.

HTC-HIGHROAD (THR) - USA

The distinctive yellow and white HTC jersey has a more retro look for 2011 but the US-registered team looks set to continue its outstanding run of success as more of its young riders emerge and confirm their talent.

German sprinter André Greipel was the most successful rider in the peloton in 2010, winning 21 races. He has opted to leave HTC for Omega Pharma-Lotto but Mark Cavendish has proved he is capable of handling the responsibility of being the team's leading sprinter.

Cavendish struggled in the first part of 2010 due to winter dental problems but was back to his best and proved he is the fastest sprinter in the world by winning five stages at the Tour de France. He ended the season with 11 victories and the green points jersey at the Vuelta a España. He showed he is hungry for further success and will again aim for more stage victories and the points jersey at the Tour de France in 2011.

Many HTC riders help Cavendish in the sprints but they're also capable of winning themselves. Bernhard Eisel won Ghent-Wevelgem, Mark Renshaw won a stage at the Tour of Denmark, Leigh Howard won a stage at the Tour of Oman and successfully represented Australia on the track, while Matthew Goss won the GP Ouest France and a stage at the Giro d'Italia.

New lead-out men for the sprint train in 2011 include Latvian National Champion Gatis Smukulis, who won the 2008 Under 23 Tour of Flanders, current Irish National Champion Matt Brammeier, experienced American Danny Pate, and Denmark's Alex Rasmussen. Two names to remember for the future are Germany's John Degenkolb and Caleb Fairly of the USA.

Australia's Michael Rogers gave HTC a prestigious win at the Amgen Tour of California but has moved to Team Sky for 2011. The experienced HTC management team is convinced that Germany's Tony Martin, Slovakia's Peter Velits and the USA's Tejay Van Garderen can fill his shoes. All have huge stage race potential, as Velits proved with his third place in the Vuelta a España.

KATUSHA TEAM (KAT) - RUS

The Katusha has a new red jersey for 2011 but the design remains the same with the profile of the Kremlin confirming that the team was created to promote the Russian global cycling project and boost cycling in the country.

With those goals in mind, the Katusha Under 23 and Under 21 development teams help the best Russian riders develop and mature. And in 2011 the UCI ProTeam squad will include four riders from the development squad: Arkimedes Arguelyes, Petr Ignatenko, Alexander Mironov and Alexander Porsev.

Katusha won 20 races in 2010 and secured 47 other top three placings but Team Manager Andrei Tchmil is always looking for ways to improve the performance of his riders and has recruited former World Champion Mario Cipollini to mentor the sprinters in the Katusha development squad. The Italian is widely considered as one the greatest sprinters of all time and perfected the art of the lead-out train during his long career. We can expect the Katusha riders to be highly drilled in the final kilometres of races in 2011.

The Katusha UCI ProTeam includes some of the very best international riders, giving the Russian riders role models to learn from. Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez topped the UCI World Ranking in 2010, confirming his consistency throughout the season. He won the Volta a Catalunya and a stage of the Tour de France and stacked up top five placings in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Flèche Wallonne and the Vuelta a España. He will be the stage race team leader in 2011 along with Giampaolo Caruso and Vladimir Karpets.

Filippo Pozzato was in the thick of the action in the cobbled classics but illness forced him to miss the Tour of Flanders. He intends to make amends in 2011 and will have extra support from fellow Italian Luca Paolini, Aleksandr Kuschynski of Belarus and Belgium's Leif Hoste.

Alexandr Kolobnev and Serguei Ivanov will lead the Katusha team in the hillier classics. Kolobnev will proudly wear the Russian National Champion jersey in the first part of 2011 and will surely land a major victory after so many placings.

LAMPRE - ISD (LAM) - ITA

The Lampre-ISD team has undergone a transformation with long-time Italian sponsor Lampre being joined by ISD from the Ukraine to create a much stronger UCI ProTeam for 2011.

The arrival of ISD has seen an influx of talented riders from the former ISD-Neri UCI Professional Continental Team, including former Under 23 World Champion Dmytro Grabovsky, Vitaly Kondrut, Denys Kostyuk, Dmytro Kostyuk and Oleksandr Kvachuk.

Team Manager Giuseppe Saronni has managed to retain Damiano Cunego for 2011 despite the Italian being targeted by several rival UCI ProTeams. However after failing to win a race in 2010, Cunego has switched his focus from the overall classification in grand tours to hilly classics and stages victories. Michele Scarponi has been hired specifically to target the Giro d'Italia after his fourth place in 2010, while the addition of Leonardo Bertagnolli, Przemyslaw Niemiec and Yuri Metlushenko will give Lampre-ISD more chances of winning races right through the season.

Sprinter Alessandro Petacchi is now 37 but proved he is as fast as ever by winning eight races in 2010 and the prestigious green jersey at the Tour de France. Petacchi can again rely on the expert support of Danilo Hondo, Francesco Gavazzi, Simon Spilak and Manuele Mori.

Lampre has made a strategic decision to invest in the best young Italian riders in the last three years and these will surely begin to bear fruit. Alfredo Balloni, Adriano Malori, Enrico Magazzini and new signing Matteo Rabottini all have the talent to emerge in 2011.

LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE (LIQ) - ITA

Liquigas-Cannondale is the strongest team in Italian cycling and surely one of the five most successful UCI ProTeams.

The team is directly owned by the Liquigas company in Italy, with further backing coming from the US bike manufacturer Cannondale for 2011.

In 2010 the guys in bright green won the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España thanks to Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali. They look set for further success in 2011 after furthering key signings.

Basso is now 33 but proved he is back to his very best with a determined performance in the Giro. He now has his sights set on the Tour de France and wants to win the leader's legendary yellow jersey in remembrance of his former coach Aldo Sassi who died during the winter.

Nibali finished third in the Giro and then secured victory at the Vuelta with a determined ride on the final mountain stage. His growing maturity and the loss of Roman Kreuziger to Astana has elevated the quiet Sicilian to the position of joint team leader with Basso and he is expected to target the Giro d'Italia this year.

Liquigas-Cannondale is known for its stage race results but also has an impressive line-up of young but highly talented classics riders.

Peter Sagan is still only 21 but is naturally aggressive and has a fast sprint and shrewd tactical brain. He won two stages at Paris-Nice, two stages at the Tour of California and then finished second in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. All as a neo-pro. It will be fascinating to see how much he has improved in 2011.

Other names to watch are Daniel Oss, who combines his love for cycling and music to bring a new attitude to the peloton, sprinter Jacopo Guarnieri, track rider Elia Viviani and promising stage racer Eros Capecchi.

The team has a more international perspective in 2011 thanks to signing Tom King and Timmy Duggan of the USA, and hard-working Australian Cameron Wurf.

OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO (OLO) - BEL

The Omega Pharma-Lotto team had a successful 2010 but looks set to win even more in 2011 thanks to signing German sprinter André Greipel and carefully building a lead-out train around him.

Greipel was the most successful rider in the peloton in 2010, winning 21 races for the HTC-Columbia team. Yet with Mark Cavendish in the same team, he could not always choose his own race programme and did not ride the Tour de France.

All that will change this season and Greipel is looking forward to proving he is the fastest sprinter in the sport as well as the most successful. He has convinced Adam Hansen, Gert Dockx, Vicente Reynes and Marcel Sieberg to make the move from HTC to Omega Pharma-Lotto, creating a formidable train for the final kilometres of flat stages. Also new to the team for 2011 are Klaas Lodewyck, Maarten Neyens, Jurgen Van de Walle, Oscar Pujol, Jussi Veikkanen and Frederik Willems, boosting Omega Pharma-Lotto's strength in depth.

Philippe Gilbert will again be the team's leader and classics star. He was voted Belgian rider of the year for 2010 and seems to be improving year on year, while staying one of the most approachable and professional riders in the sport. He is one of the few modern-day riders who can win both the cobbled classics and in the hilly Ardennes.

In 2010 Gilbert won the Amstel Gold Race and then dominated the Giro di Lombardia for a second successive season. He perhaps also deserved to win the UCI Road World Championships after making an audacious late breakaway. His time as World Champion will surely come one day.

Thanks to the emerging talent of Jurgen Van Broeck, Omega Pharma-Lotto also has a Tour de France contender. The quiet Belgian finished fifth in the 2010 Tour and must be a candidate for a podium place this year. Other names to remember include Australia's Matt Lloyd, who won the climber's jersey at the Giro d'Italia, talented young British sprinter Adam Blythe and Jan Bakelandts.

PRO TEAM ASTANA (AST) - KAZ

The light blue and yellow Astana jersey stands out in the peloton and we can again expect to see the colours flash first across the line in 2011, proudly showing the colours of Kazakhstan cycling in the UCI WorldTour.

Alberto Contador is no longer in the team but leader Alexander Vinokourov has been joined by Roman Kreuziger and several other interesting new signings that will make the team more competitive in the sprints and classics.

Vinokourov is now 37 but he has no intention of slowing down. In 2010 Vino blasted his way to victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He also won the 13th stage of the Tour de France to Revel after missing out the day before in Mende. He also dominated the Giro del Trentino and was second in the Clásica San Sebastián.

Vino is perhaps past his best for the overall classification but will again target the Tour de France, while Kreuziger first targets the Giro d'Italia. The 24 year-old Czech rider has finished ninth in the last two editions of the Tour de France and can surely do better in Italy as he matures and gains experience.

Astana had Allan Davis and Enrico Gasparotto for the sprints in 2010 but will also have Mirco Lorenzetto, Simon Clarke and Tomas Vaitkus for 2011. They can all win or combine their strengths to make a highly effective lead-out train.

Climbers Francesco Masciarelli, Remy Di Gregorio and Evgeni Petrov will all be able to offer valuable support to Kreuziger but can also win races and stages themselves, while Paolo Tiralongo will be a precious and highly experienced road captain.

"We’re thinking about the general classification in the Tour de France, why not?» Vinokourov stated. "We won’t give up on the battle for the overall before the start. We will fight for the yellow jersey, and after that, the mountain jersey, team classification or important stages. But the big goal is to fight for a place on the podium."

QUICKSTEP CYCLING TEAM (QST) - BEL

The Quick Step team has a new, more colourful jersey for 2011 and is hoping to have a more successful season after team leader Tom Boonen was plagued by a knee injury during the second part of last year.

Boonen seems to have made a full recovery and will surely be a big favourite for what he has always described as 'his' races: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He has won Flanders three times and Paris-Roubaix twice, and taken a series of other top five placings.
Boonen is now 30 but is again expected to be one of Fabian Cancellara's biggest rivals on the cobblestones.

Quick Step is more than just a classics-centric team and proved it last summer when Sylvain Chavanel won two stages at the Tour de France and wore the race leader's yellow jersey for two days. Fellow Frenchman Jérôme Pineau also spent ten days in the climber's polka-dot jersey, giving Quick Step huge amounts of media attention. Both will target the hilly Ardennes classics in 2011 and of course return to the Tour de France.

Quick Step has slipped down the UCI rankings and lost classics contender Stijn Devolder but has boosted its winning potential by signing sprinters Gerald Ciolek, Francesco Chicchi and Gert Steegmans. They will all benefit from sprint coach, former rider Tom Steels.

Ciolek was Under 23 World Champion and will surely rediscover his powerful burst of speed after two quiet seasons at Milram. Chicchi is a jovial Italian who always wins his share of sprints. In 2010 he won 7 and even beat Mark Cavendish to win stage four of the Tour of California.

Steegmans has had two difficult seasons and changed teams twice. However the best results of his career came at Quick Step and there is no reason why he can't make a successful comeback.

RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM (RAB) - NED

The Rabobank company has confirmed its commitment to sponsoring cycling until 2016, ensuring the long-term future of the team from the Netherlands.

The Rabobank team had a successful 2010, with the highlights being Oscar Freire's victory at Milano-San Remo and Robert Gesink winning Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and finishing sixth in the Tour de France.

However the team is not resting on its laurels and is continuing to build for the future, carefully developing its own riders who have come through the Rabobank development system.

Russia's Denis Menchov has moved to the smaller Geox team for 2011 but Rabobank has made sure other riders are ready to step up and fill his place in the team. Gesink will be 25 in May and this year's mountainous Tour de France route and limited time trials will suit his climbing skills. Spain's Luis León Sánchez will also fill Menchov's shoes and hopes to continue his gradual but successful development as a stage race rider.

Oscar Freire is 35 in February but will again be the team's protected sprinter for the big classics, but Rabobank can also count on Lars Boom and Matti Breschel. Boom is a former World Cyclo-cross World Champion and a world class trialist but also has the proven ability to ride on the cobbles.

New arrival Breschel will add a further dimension to Rabobank's classics squad, while Dutchman Theo Bos boosts the sprinting options. Breschel won the Dwars door Vlaanderen race in 2010 and was unlucky in many of the other spring classics and in the World Championships road race when he finished second. 2011 could be his year.

Perhaps the most exciting new name in the team is that of Australia's Michael Matthews. He won the Under 23 world road race title at home last year with a spectacular sprint finish. He could rapidly develop into one of the sport's fastest sprinters. Remember his name.

SAXO BANK SUNGARD (SBS) - DEN

Team Manager Bjarne Riis was forced to rebuild his team after the departure of several key riders.

Alberto Contador's future in the team has still to be decided. With him the team will be Tour de France contender. Without him the team will have to lower their hopes and expectations in grand tours and rely on young Australian Richie Porte for overall success.

Porte proved he has the ability and temperament to be a team leader by his impressive debut season in 2010. He wore the pink leader's jersey at the Giro d'Italia for three days, finished seventh overall and won the best young rider competition.

A total of 11 riders have moved on from Saxo Bank, including Time Trial World Champion Fabian Cancellara and Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck, but Riis has replaced them with some intelligent signings for 2011.

Spain's Jesús Hernandez, Daniel Navarro and Benjamín Noval form Contador's inner circle but are all good climbers, while Ukraine's Volodoymir Gustov brings vital stage race experience and Italy's Matteo Tosatto's ability to read a race is second to none. Belgium's Nick Nuyens is hungry to re-launch his career with success in the classics, while Britain's Jonny Bellis continues his comeback from injury. Argentina's Juan José Haedo will again be a contender in sprint finishes.

Australia's David Tanner had to fight to keep his career in track on 2009 but now has a great chance to confirm the potential he showed as an Under 23 rider. He will be mentored by sprinter Baden Cooke and Directeur Sportif Bradley McGee.

«I strongly believe in our new beginning. It's been a pleasure to meet the new riders and it really made me proud to see how the 'old' riders worked hard to help welcome the new riders,» Riis said.

«I think we have already created a strong team spirit, and I'm sure that this work makes a difference for us during races. I'm also deeply impressed with my entire staff - from sports directors to mechanics and soigneurs. I honestly don't remember that we have been better prepared for a new season.»

TEAM GARMIN-CERVELO (GRM) - USA

The fusion of the Garmin and Cervélo teams has created a true cycling super team for 2011 which includes current World Champion Thor Hushovd, powerful sprinter Tyler Farrar, Tour de France contenders Christian Vande Velde and Ryder Hesjedal, and some of the most promising young riders in the peloton.

Hushovd won his rainbow jersey at the UCI Road World Championships in Australia thanks to a perfectly timed final sprint. He has been widely praised for his professionalism and integrity and so will be a natural figurehead for Garmin-Cervélo. His rainbow jersey will contrast with the blue and black colours chosen for the new Garmin-Cervélo jersey.

The team will be especially powerful for the classics with Heinrich Haussler, Roger Hammond, Andreas Klier, Johan Van Summeren and Martijn Maaskant joining Farrar and Hushovd. All are capable of winning and know how to help each other win on the cobblestones.

Christian Vandevelde bounced back from nasty crashes in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France by completing the Vuelta a España and the American will again spearhead the team in the Tour de France.

Canada's Ryder Hesjedal proved a worthy understudy for Vandevelde in 2010, finishing seventh in the Tour de France. With support from stage race veteran David Millar, talented climber Dan Martin, time trialist Dave Zabriskie and France's Christophe Le Mevel, Garmin-Cervélo have the strength in depth to be protagonists in every race on the UCI WorldTour calendar.

Young riders Jack Bobridge, brothers Cameron and Travis Meyer, Peter Stetina and Andrew Talansky have already shown their talent and will surely step up another level in 2011.

«By the end of the year, we want to be the number one team in the world. That's the singular performance goal of our team,» Team Manager Jonathan Vaughters said, setting the bar high for his riders.