Team Garmin-Slipstream’s speedster for the field sprints at Le Tour, Tyler Farrar, has been getting a lot of attention this year. From field sprint wins to the prologue and eventual overall at the Delta Tour of Zeeland,
the man from Wenatchee, Washington is turning a lot of heads — in a role not often occupied by an American. Velonews’ Andrew Hood spoke with Farrar about his Tour de France aspirations.
Tyler Farrar will be something of an oddity when he lines up Saturday for his Tour de France debut – an American sprinter
For the first time in several years, since Fred Rodriguez lined up at Mapei and later at Silence-Lotto, an American will have a legitimate shot at winning a bunch sprint in the Tour.
And unlike Rodriguez, who rode his last Tours in support of Robbie McEwen, Farrar will see strong support from his Garmin-Slipstream teammates. Veteran lead-out man Julian Dean will be Farrar’s guide through the high-speed duel of nerves and speed.
A prologue victory and overall at the Delta Tour in June only bolstered Farrar’s confidence ahead of the Tour, where he will lock heads with new sprint king, Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad).
The 25-year-old has spent the past week in Girona, Spain, undergoing some intense workouts with his Garmin teammates and putting the finishing touches on his form.
