Katusha have announced their 9-rider roster for the Tour de France. As it has been known for several months, the team will go into the race with two leaders, Joaquim Rodriguez and Alexander Kristoff.

Rodriguez will do the French grand tour for the third year in a row but finds himself in a vastly different position compared to 2014 when he was a late addition to the team after he crashed out of the Giro d'Italia. Far from his best condition, he targeted a stage win and the mountains jersey while he mainly worked on his condition for the Vuelta.

This year the Tour has been his big goal right from the beginning of the season and he has had a perfect build-up in his quest to finally take that elusive grand tour. He finished third in the race in 2013 and won a stage in 2010.

Rodriguez will be supported by Tiago Machado, Giampaolo Caruso and Alberto Losada who will be his key domestiques in the mountains. As had already been announced, Daniel Moreno will be absent, meaning that Rodriguez and his lieutenant don't have the largely identical calendars they have had in the past.

Kristoff will lead the second part of the team as he targets more stage wins in the sprints and the green jersey. Last year he won his first two Tour stages and he hopes to add to his tally in 2015. He will be supported by his usual two lead-out men Jacopo Guarnieri and Marco Haller while Luca Paolini will provide useful experience for both Rodriguez and Kristoff.

The team is completed by Dmitriy Kozontchuk who will be a valuable support rider on both the flat stages and in the medium mountains.

Katusha for the Tour de France

Joaquim Rodriguez, Alexander Kristoff, Marco Haller, Jacopo Guarnieri, Dmitriy Kozontchuk, Tiago Machado, Luca Paolini, Giampaolo Caruso and Alberto Losada