Although he is currently suffering from a cold and has been forced to cancel the defence of his title in the Rund um Köln in Germany tomorrow, Sam Bennett has been named as co-leader for the Bora-Argon18 team for his first Tour de France.

The squad announced its long list for the Tour yesterday, naming 13 riders. Nine of these will line out in the Tour, and Bennett can count on making his debut.

"After a very successful first half of the season, Sam Bennett will make his debut in a Grand Tour," said the general manager Ralph Denk. "He is one of the fastest men in the peloton and he deserves to compete with the best sprinters in the biggest race in the world.

“In accordance with this, we’ll add riders to our tour line-up who support Sam in the sprint preparation.”

German Dominik Nerz will be co-leader.