Rigoberto Urán and Tejay van Garderen will lead EF Education First at the 2019 Tour of California, which starts this weekend, with support coming from the likes of Taylor Phinney, Lachlan Morton and recent signing Sergio Higuita.
The American WorldTour team can also expect to enjoy strong support from roadside fans at what is the only men's WorldTour event in the US, with the race also attracting some of the sport's biggest names, including former winners Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma), two-time runner-up Rohan Dennis (Bahrain-Merida), sprinter Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Trek-Segafredo's Richie Porte.
Van Garderen – who joined EF Education First this season from BMC – won the event in 2013 and finished second overall last season, and is looking forward to racing on home roads again.
"It's not often that you get such a competitive field of world-class cyclists without having to travel overseas," van Garderen said in a team press release.
"When you have this kind of competition so close to home, you won't want to miss out. The best part of racing the Tour of California is the home-court advantage. The crowds are so supportive of the American riders and teams."
Van Garderen's fellow Americans on the seven-man squad are Phinney, Alex Howes and Lawson Craddock, who finished third overall at the 2014 race.
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