Tour de France wildcard place awarded to Team Sky

Team Sky has been handed a wildcard place in the Tour de France by the organiser ASO.

Bradley Wiggins is set to lead the British team when the race starts in Rotterdam on July 3, and he will be hoping to improve on last year's fourth place.

Lance Armstrong's Radioshack and world champion Cadel Evans's BMC Racing have also secured invitations.

Garmin-Transitions have also been invited, which makes four American-run squads will take part - HTC-Columbia is the other. The final wild cards went to Cervélo, who have last year's green jersey winner Thor Hushovd in their ranks, and Russian squad Katusha.

It meant there was disappointment for three teams who have tried to make a big impression this season. Two Dutch squads, Skil-Shimano and Vacansoleil, hoped the fact the race starts in the Netherlands might earn them a place. Skil-Shimano will be particularly disappointed as they rode last year. French minnows Saur-Sojasun were not expected to get a place, particularly as four French teams were covered by the ProTour agreement. 

After months of speculation, ASO has honoured the agreement made 18 months ago to invite all the ProTour teams to the race. That means there is a place for French squad Cofidis, who were part of the ProTour when the agreement was made but who dropped to Pro Continental status this season.

Cofidis has impressed during the early weeks of the season, with Samuel Dumoulin winning a stage at the Tour of Catalonia and their young Estonian finishing third overall. BBOX Bouygues Telecom also gained a place thanks to their former status as a ProTour squad.

The agreement also means there is a place for Footon-Servetto, the Spanish team that rose from the ashes of the disgraced Saunier Duval. Riccardo Ricco tested positive during the 2008 Tour while riding for Saunier Duval. Footon is a team that is lacking stars and is, so far, devoid of results at the top level.

All the other major teams - defending champion Alberto Contador's Astana squad and Andy Schleck's Saxo Bank - were also included.

ASO were always going to invite Team Sky, not just because of Wiggins's fourth place last year and a strong, if not super-powerful roster, but because of the sponsor's profile and ability to expose the Tour de France to a bigger audience in the UK.

THE 22 TOUR DE FRANCE TEAMS AND THEIR KEY RIDERS

16 teams covered by the ProTour agreement

AG2R-La Mondiale (France) Efimkin, Roche, Valjavec

Astana (Kazakhstan) Contador, Vinokourov

BBOX Bouygues Telecom (France) Fedrigo, Voeckler

Caisse d'Epargne (Spain) LL Sanchez, Moreau

Cofidis (France) Dumoulin, Moncoutie, Moinard, Taaramae

Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain) S Sanchez

Française des Jeux (France) Casar, Di Gregorio, Le Mevel

Footon-Servetto (Spain) Cardoso

HTC-Columbia (USA) Cavendish, Rogers

Lampre (Italy) Cunego, Petacchi

Liquigas (Italy) Basso, Nibali, Kreuziger, Bennati

Milram (Germany) Gerdemann, Ciolek

Omega Pharma-Lotto (Belgium) Gilbert

Quick Step (Belgium) Boonen, Chavanel

Rabobank (Netherlands) Menchov, Gesink, Freire

Saxo Bank (Denmark) A Schleck, F Schleck, Cancellara

Six teams handed wildcard places

Radioshack (USA) Armstrong, Leipheimer, Kloden, Brajkovic

Team Sky (Great Britain) Wiggins, Lofkvist, Gerrans, Boasson Hagen

Katusha (Russia) Pozzato, Kirchen, McEwen, Karpets, Rodriguez

Garmin-Transitions (USA) Farrar, Vande Velde, Millar, Martin

Cervélo (Switzerland) Hushovd, Sastre

BMC Racing (USA) Evans, Hincapie



MISSING OUT

Saur-Sojasun (France)

Skil-Shimano (Netherlands)

Vacansoleil (Netherlands)

Tour de France 2010: Related links

CW's analysis of the 2010 Tour de France route

Tour de France 2010: Wildcard watch

2010 Tour de France route revealed

Tour de France 2010 presentation photo gallery by Graham Watson