Sam Bennett has been left out of the Bora-Hansgrohe contingent for the Tour de France. Instead, Alexandre Vlasov, who has recovered from his COVID-19 diagnosis that forced him to abandon the Tour de Suisse, will be in contention for the overall.

Max Schachmann and Marco Haller are also on the team despite their positive COVID-19 tests in recent weeks. The team also includes past Tour de France stage winners Nils Pollitt, Leonard Kemna, and Patrick Conrad, as well as Danny van Poppel and Felix Groeschartner.

"Choosing 10, 11, 12 riders is not an easy task," said sport director Rolf Aldag while announcing the team on the Bora-Hansgrohe podcast. 'We have done well in the stage races this year. We have won not only the Giro, but also Valencia, Catalunya, and Romandie, which shows the direction the team is going in."

"We are very happy with the results.

Bennett, who returned to the team from Quick Step in the off-season, was expected to play a key role in Bora-Hansgrohe's Tour plans. He won two stages and the green jersey in the final race of the 2020 Tour, but missed last year's race due to injury. [But his victory in Eschborn-Frankfurt on May 1 seemed to indicate that Bennett's fortunes had turned around. Bennett's most recent appearance was in the Baloise Belgian Tour, where he finished fourth in the final stage.

The team's focus is now on the overall standings, and coach Ralf Denk says Vlasov could be on the podium in his Tour debut. The Russian, who moved from Astana to Bora-Hansgrohe in the winter, is enjoying a strong campaign, winning the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Tour de Romandie.

Vlasov won a stage at the Tour de Suisse earlier this month to take the race lead, but was forced to abandon the race at COVID-19 before the stage the next day. In Vlasov's absence, Sergio Iguita finished third overall in the Tour de Suisse. Iguita will compete in the Vuelta a España this season.

"I'm aiming for the podium. It's a tough goal, but it's a realistic one when you look at Alexandre Brasov's result," said director Ralf Denk while announcing the lineup on the Bora-Hansgrohe podcast." We would be happy if we could also achieve a stage win."