Cycling: Henderson earns Tour de France ride

Greg Henderson. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand cyclist Greg Henderson has given his Olympic hopes a boost by being named in the Lotto team for this month's Tour de France.

Henderson missed out in 2011 competing for Team Sky and has been rewarded for making the switch to Lotto-Belisol at the end of last year.

The three-time New Zealand track cyclist of the year also improves his chances of making the London Games with Bike NZ stating that anyone racing in the Tour de France will likely take part in the Olympic road race.

Fellow Kiwi rider Hayden Roulston has been left out of his Radioshack Nissan-Trek team's final roster of nine riders for the prestigious event.

Roulston said that missing out on the Bayern Rundfahrt race due to sickness set him back.

"I needed that race to get the body back into the swing of things but I was sick so couldn't go,'' he told the Ashburton Guardian.

"I can only blame myself here though. You don't just get sick. You get sick by not looking after yourself properly.''

And maybe he had neglected to do so, he said.

Jack Bauer's Garmin-Barracuda have yet to name their Tour de France team, but he is in with a shot for a maiden tour ride after a strong performance in the recent Giro d'Italia.

Belgian Jurgen Van den Broeck will head up the Lotto team for the June 30-July 22 event.

Van den Broeck, who was bumped up to fourth in the 2010 Tour after Alberto Contador's doping offences, will be accompanied by German sprinter Andre Greipel, who won a stage while debuting on last year's Tour and Australian Adam Hansen.

Lotto team: Lars Bak (DEN), Francis De Greef (BEL), Andre Greipel (GER), Adam Hansen (AUS), Greg Henderson (NZL), Jurgen Roelandts (BEL), Marcel Sieberg (GER), Jurgen Van den Broeck (BEL), Jelle Vanendert (BEL). Replacement: Jurgen Van de Walle (BEL)

- HERALD ONLINE