Quick Step-Davitamon

TEAM PROFILE Country: Italy Manager: Alvaro Crespi Team leader: Richard Virenque Best Tour: Six stage wins in 1998

Every year Quick Step get more and more competitive and 2004 looks to be no different, judging by the new faces they have brought into their midst.

First off is Juan Miguel Mercado, who was snapped up from Ibanesto.com, and equally impressive is Laurent Dufaux, who starred in the mountains.

Dufaux and Richard Virenque are solid climbers, although neither are likely to cause a stir in the GC.

The team's potential problem is they have too many riders heading the team.

Aside from Mercado, Dufaux and Virenque, there's Paolo Bettini, one of the best one-day riders in the sport today and the winner of this year's Tirreno-Adriatico.

Their time trial ambitions will rest on Australian rider Michael Rogers, who could yet find himself in the top 20 overall come Paris.

Rogers has been tipped as a future Tour winner and has all the assets required to do so over the three weeks.

Last year he was an impressive 42nd and sixth in the young riders' competition.