Tour Teams Announced

The 22 teams that have been invited to the 2011 Tour de France have been announced. The 1st 18 are automatic bids due to their ProTeam status and the final 4 were Wildcards. This news is quite early this year, as it took until late March last year to learn the teams that will be participating.

The teams are:

The 18 ProTeams

Omega Pharma-Lotto- Greipel on the sprints. Van den Broeck going for GC. They are a force this year
Quickstep Cycling Team- These guys always put on a good show at the Tour. They love to attack and work the daily breakaways.
Saxo Bank Sungard- Obviously the fate of this team's success rests on the Contador decision early next month.
Euskaltel-Euskadi- Always popular with the Spanish fans. And Sanchez put on a fine performance last year.
Movistar Team- Previously Caisse d'Epargne. The premiere Spanish squad in the Tour.
Ag2R La Mondiale- Only French squad that was selected as a ProTeam. Roche and Gadret make this team relevant this year.
Team Sky- British powerhouse in their sophomore year. They have learned some valuable lessons from the 1st year and I'd watch this squad to make themselves known.
Lampre - ISD- As with Saxo, they are up in the air with their man Petacchi.
Liquigas-Cannondale- They will take their knocks at this year's Tour, but are just too famous of a team to exclude.
Astana- Really interested to see what they will do this year. They have a pretty good squad, but no big hitter. But they still obviously get the invite.
Team Leopard - Trek- New Luxembourg power team. They may very well have the winner in one of the Schlecks. And Cancellara for the TT stage.
Rabobank Team- Top Dutch squad. Gesink did well last year and should again.
Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team- Happy to see these guys finally get the invite they've been working so hard for. The Feillu's should generate plenty of interest.
Katusha Team- Top Russian team in the business lead by a Spaniard (Rodriguez). But they should be significant as well.
BMC Racing- The sophomore American team, like Sky of GBR, has learned a lot of lessons and may be able to properly support Cadel Evans and make a run at the title.
HTC-Highroad- It won't be long (a year or 2) before this team develops the guns to make a go at GC success (Van Garderen, Velits) but for now they are still the premiere team to watch in all the flat stages.
Team Garmin-Cervelo- HTC's primary opponent for the sprint. They also have some breakaway potential.
Team Radioshack- No Lance this year, but they still have a solid squad lead by Leipheimer.

WILDCARDS

what a surprise, they're all French...

Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
Saur - Sojasun
FDJ
Team Europcar (formerly Bbox)

I'll group them all as one. French directors trying to promote French cycling. Europcar and Confidis are mainstays. FDJ has enough to be prevalent in breakaways. Saur-Sojasun are the new kids on the block, but Coppel should certainly generate plenty of French interest.

Who Missed Out?

Geox- (formerly Footon-Servetto) This decision shocked everyone, but it all boils down to the fact that they are not French. But the impact will be significant. Denis Menchov, Carlos Sastre, and Rafael Valls will (probably) not be in the 2011 Tour. Those are some big names to leave out.

Note that 21 of the above 22 teams were also invited to PARIS-NICE race.
The one exception was that Bretagne-Schuller was selected over Saur-Sojasun