Tour de France: Team Sky name strong squad to support's Chris Froome's bid for yellow

Chris Froome's bid to win this summer's Tour de France will be supported by a Team Sky squad packed with climbing experts, Olympic champions and stage-race specialists.

The 100th edition of the Tour starts in Corsica on June 29 and ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 21. Froome has established himself as heavy favourite after winning the Tour of Oman, Criterium International, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine already this season. He has repeatedly defeated Tour rivals such as Alberto Contador in the mountains and appears to be primed to go one better than his runner-up finish last year. Froome added: "I am delighted with the balance in this team and every one of these riders is going to play a pivotal role once the racing begins.

Climbing ability

"Most of us were at the Criterium du Dauphine and I was hugely impressed there with the way the team came together in control of the leader's jersey. It gave me huge faith and I could not be happier with the selection. "Ian, Vasil and Kosta [Siutsou] each possess huge engines that you can't go into a Tour without. They will be controlling things on the front for long periods of the race and pacing me once the climbing begins. "Geraint, David and Pete will then take up the reins. Those guys have really improved their climbing abilities and will be a massive help when the pace really ramps up in the mountains. "In Richie we simply have one of the strongest climbers in the world. He is another rider who is more than capable of winning a Grand Tour in his own right. Having him in our ranks gives us a number of different options to play. "We are ready, excited and can't wait to get going."