Cycling: Nervous wait for Roulston

New Zealand rider Hayden Roulston faces a nervous wait over the next few days before his Cervelo TestTeam announce their starting lineup for next month's Tour de France cycling race.

The nine-man Tour team, expected to be led by defending champion Carlos Sastre of Spain and Norwegian sprint ace Thor Hushovd, have been picked but won't be revealed until later this week.

Roulston and 11 others pre-selected for the tour which begins in Monaco on July 4, spent yesterday at an airport near their Swiss base testing their new time trial bikes as they eye an all-out attack on the 39km fourth stage team time trial (TTT) in Montpellier on July 7.

The team's sport director Alex Sans Vega said the testing had gone well.

"We are very confident and quite pleased with the team's performance.

"The TTT is one of the important stages for the general classification at the Tour de France and to reach our goal of a top place finish in the overall ranking, this stage could play a key role.

"Despite the bad weather today we accomplished what we set out to do -- try different start orders and different positions."

Sans Vega said the last selection for the team's nine Tour de France riders also took place and will be announced at the end of the week.

Roulston, who has been hampered by a foot injury for some weeks, proved his fitness and enhanced his chances of selection with a solid finish at last weekend's Ster Elektrotoer five-day race in the Netherlands.

He was Cervelo's top rider in general classification, finishing seventh.

If selected Roulston's major role would be to lead-out Hushovd who has won the tour's green (sprint ace) jersey and help nurse Sastre in the mountain stages.

With Julian Dean due to start his fifth tour with Garmin Slipstream, it would be the first time two riders from New Zealand will be at the start line together.

Dunedin's Greg Henderson has missed out on a tour start for his Columbia-Highroad team.

- NZPA