Team Garmin-Cervélo today announced its long-awaited team roster for the Tour de France 2011.

The chosen squad features World Champion and Norwegian God of Thunder Thor Hushovd and fellow sprinter Tyler Farrar, who has claimed stage wins in two other Grand Tours. Headed by experienced and tough lead-out man Julian Dean the couple will be aiming for blasting stage wins for the team.

The team also features two-time top 10 finisher Christian Vande Velde, who is hoping to improve his performance further in this year's edition of the Tour de France, aiming for a top-5 finish or even a podium spot for Team Garmin-Cervelo.

Ryder Hesjedal, who placed an impressive 7th overall in the 2010 Tour returns to the French roads this year, as does recently crowned U.S. National Time Trial Champion David Zabriskie who will also be responsible for keeping high spirits among the team members during the three hard weeks.

Tour de France veteran David Millar is joining the team's Tour de France roster as a time trial expert but also as a highly talented rider who's strong both on the flats and in the mountains.

Two riders will be making their Tour de France debut together with Team Garmin-Cervelo this year. Tom Danielson is coming off strong performances in both the Amgen Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse. The other rider is Lithuanian Ramunas Navardauskas who's both the team's youngest rider and newly crowned National Champion.

"We needed a team that could give us options in the overall classification, but also for stage wins. With this squad, we have that," CEO of Slipstream Sports - the company behind Team Garmin-Cervelo - Jonathan Vaughters told Roadcycling.com and our mobile sister site Roadcycling.mobi.

"With such a strong team and so many riders going so well all season this was our most difficult Tour de France selection yet. When you have 15 or 18 riders capable of riding the Tour, it becomes difficult, and its hard to leave guys like Johan (Van Summeren) home."

"I'm confident that we have found the right mix in this group, and I have absolute faith in these riders. It's going to be an exciting Tour de France," Vaughters concluded.

Team Garmin-Cervélo roster for the 2011 Tour de France:
Thor Hushovd (NOR), Christian Vande Velde (USA), Tyler Farrar (USA), David Millar (GB), Julian Dean (NZ), Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), David Zabriskie (USA), Tom Danielson (USA), and Ramunas Navardauskas (LT).