Garmin-Sharp

Garmin-Sharp

Team information
UCI code	GRS
Based	United States
Founded	2007 (2007)
Discipline	Road
Status	UCI ProTeam
Bicycles	Cervélo
Website	Team home page
Key personnel
General manager	Jonathan Vaughters
Team name history
2003 2004–2006 2007–2008 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (Jan–June) June 2012–	5280/Subaru TIAA–CREF (TIA) Slipstream p/b Chipotle (TSL) Garmin-Chipotle Presented by H3O (TSL) Garmin-Slipstream (GRM) Garmin-Transitions (GRM) Garmin-Cervélo (GRM) Garmin-Barracuda (GRM) Garmin-Sharp (GRS)
Jersey
Current season

Garmin-Sharp (UCI Code: GRS) is a UCI ProTeam established in 2007 out of the TIAA-CREF and 5280 development squads and based in the United States. The directeur sportif and general manager is Jonathan Vaughters, a former rider.

The team has been invited to UCI World Calendar, UCI ProTour and UCI Continental Circuits races such as Tour of Flanders, Gent–Wevelgem and Paris–Roubaix and the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.

The team's most important victory was in the 2012 Giro d'Italia when Ryder Hesjedal won the general classification. Garmin has previous placed Bradley Wiggins fourth in the 2009 Tour de France, and Christian Vande Velde fifth in the 2008 Tour de France, however, both were subsequently promoted to third and fourth, respectively.

History

Early years

Vaughters founded the team for 2003 as a junior development squad. Its sponsor was 5280 magazine in Denver. The following year TIAA-CREF became sponsor and Vaughters fielded professional and amateur riders. 5280 and TIAA-CREF continued to sponsor Garmin's youth riders in subsequent years, followed by the restaurant chain Chipotle.

2008–2010

In 2007 Slipstream Sports LLC took the management and the team raced under the name Team Slipstream. In 2008 Chipotle Mexican Grill began to sponsor the team and the team name was changed to Team Slipstream by Chipotle. The name was changed again in June 2008 after the navigation system manufacturer Garmin was announced as main sponsor, a week prior to the 2008 Tour de France. Their first major Tour was the 2008 Giro d'Italia, where they won the Team Time Trail and Christian Vande Velde wore the pink jersey for one stage. In the Tour de France Vande Velde finished fourth and the team was leading from stage 3 until stage 6. Garmin remained sponsor in 2009 and the team was renamed Garmin-Slipstream. In the 2009 Tour de France Bradley Wiggins was the major surprise, finishing fourth overall – later upgraded to third place after Lance Armstrong's results were voided by the UCI – while Vande Velde finished 8th. In the 2009 Vuelta a España the sprinter Tyler Farrar, the time trial specialist David Millar and the Canadian Ryder Hesjedal took stage wins for the team. In 2010 Transitions Optical became co-sponsors of the team. Hesjedal was the best rider for the team in the 2010 Tour de France, finishing 7th.

2011–present

On August 28, 2010, Garmin-Transitions announced it was switching working agreements from Felt Bicycles to Cervélo bikes, and that it would change its name to Garmin-Cervélo for the 2011 season. Felt chose not to exercise its option with Garmin-Transitions after a four-year working agreement. The Cervélo TestTeam folded and seven riders moved to Garmin-Cervélo, including then world champion Thor Hushovd.^[1][2] Ahead of the 2012 season, the team again changed names to Garmin-Barracuda, after Barracuda Networks joined the team as a sponsor. Despite giving up the team's second name, Cervélo will remain with the team as its official bicycle supplier.^[3] In June 2012, the Sharp Corporation became the second team name sponsor, although Barracuda remained a named member of the organisation.^[4][5]

Sponsorship

The team in black and white with blue argyle (left sleeve of the jersey and left cuff of the short) is sponsored by Garmin, a maker of global positioning devices (GPS), which announced its sponsorship in June 2008^[6] and Cervélo Cycles. Both have committed themselves to the end of the 2014 season at least. Other notable sponsors include Transitions Optical, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and 3T Cycling. Tata Consultancy Services of India has been appointed technology partner to the team. The team is managed by Slipstream Sports, a sports marketing and development company, and was known as Team Slipstream during 2007 and the first half of 2008. The team uses Cervélo and Shimano componentry.^[7]

Anti-doping program

When the team entered the Professional Continental ranks they began in the Agency for Cycling Ethics^[8] program to eliminate doping.^[9] Participants are tested repeatedly to develop a bio-stable marker profile. Future tests check these markers have not moved. If they have, the rider is ill or has taken performance enhancing drugs. If any change has been noted, the rider cannot race until the markers have returned to normal. Riders are interviewed, and tested for illness or doping.

Team roster

As of January 1, 2014.^[10]

Rider Date of birth  Janier Acevedo (COL) (1985-12-06)December 6, 1985 (aged 28)  Jack Bauer (NZL) (1985-04-07)April 7, 1985 (aged 28)  Nate Brown (USA) (1991-07-06)July 6, 1991 (aged 22)  André Cardoso (POR) (1984-09-03)September 3, 1984 (aged 29)  Tom Danielson (USA) (1978-03-13)March 13, 1978 (aged 35)  Thomas Dekker (NED) (1984-09-06)September 6, 1984 (aged 29)  Rohan Dennis (AUS) (1990-05-28)May 28, 1990 (aged 23)  Caleb Fairly (USA) (1987-02-19)February 19, 1987 (aged 26)  Tyler Farrar (USA) (1984-06-02)June 2, 1984 (aged 29)  Koldo Fernández (ESP) (1981-09-13)September 13, 1981 (aged 32)  Phil Gaimon (USA) (1986-01-28)January 28, 1986 (aged 27)  Nathan Haas (AUS) (1989-03-12)March 12, 1989 (aged 24)  Ryder Hesjedal (CAN) (1980-12-09)December 9, 1980 (aged 33)  Alex Howes (USA) (1988-01-01)January 1, 1988 (aged 26)  Ben King (USA) (1989-03-22)March 22, 1989 (aged 24)

Rider Date of birth  Raymond Kreder (NED) (1989-11-26)November 26, 1989 (aged 24)  Sebastian Langeveld (NED) (1985-01-17)January 17, 1985 (aged 28)  Dan Martin (IRE) (1986-08-20)August 20, 1986 (aged 27)  David Millar (GBR) (1977-01-04)January 4, 1977 (aged 36)  Lachlan Morton (AUS) (1992-01-02)January 2, 1992 (aged 21)  Ramūnas Navardauskas (LTU) (1988-01-30)January 30, 1988 (aged 25)  Lasse Norman Hansen (DEN) (1992-02-11)February 11, 1992 (aged 21)  Nick Nuyens (BEL) (1980-05-05)May 5, 1980 (aged 33)  Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) (1989-07-01)July 1, 1989 (aged 24)  Andrew Talansky (USA) (1988-11-23)November 23, 1988 (aged 25)  Dylan van Baarle (NED) (1976-05-22)May 22, 1976 (aged 37)  Johan Vansummeren (BEL) (1992-05-21)May 21, 1992 (aged 21)  Steele Von Hoff (AUS) (1987-12-31)December 31, 1987 (aged 26)  Fabian Wegmann (GER) (1980-06-20)June 20, 1980 (aged 33)

Major results

Total wins

National champions

Team ranking

IP = In Progress.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garmin-Slipstream.

• Official website
• Garmin-Sharp on Twitter
• Garmin-Sharp on Facebook