Team Sky announce Tour of California line-up

British road race champion Peter Kennaugh in Sky's seven-man roster for 2016 Tour of California (May 15-22)

Peter Kennaugh wins at the Herald Sun Tour (Watson)

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

British riders Peter Kennaugh, Andy Fenn and Alex Peters have been selected by Team Sky to take part in the 2016 Amgen Tour of California, starting on May 15.

The trio of Brits will be joined by Norwegian 2015 Tour de Yorkshire champion Lars Petter Nordhaug, Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka, Italian Gianni Moscon, Spaniard Xabier Zandio and Dutch sprinter Danny van Poppel.

Fenn, Kennaugh, Nordhaug and van Poppel transfer to America from this year's edition of the Tour de Yorkshire, which finished on May 1.

>>> Tour of California 2016: Latest news, reports and info

British road race champion Kennaugh was a regular fixture at the front of the pack during the Tour de Yorkshire, setting the pace and helping to chase breaks down. The squad's Nicolas Roche ended the TdY in second spot, six seconds behind overall winner Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie).

Kennaugh finished the 2015 Tour of California in ninth position behind overall winner Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and is therefore one of Sky's strongest options for a good GC placing alongside Nordhaug. Kennaugh won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and a stage of the Herald Sun Tour in Australia in January and February.

>>> Bradley Wiggins to ride 2016 Amgen Tour of California

Sagan returns to California to defend his title, and is joined by another former winner in the shape of Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Wiggins), who won in 2014.

Colombian Sergio Henao was Sky's top finisher in 2015 in third place, but is currently withdrawn from racing as his biological passport values are investigated.

Watch: Inside Team Sky's training camp

Van Poppel will provide firepower in the sprints, where he will come up against former Sky rider Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), who took four stages and the sprint classification in 2015.

The UCI 2.HC-ranked Amgen Tour of California starts in San Diego on Sunday, May 15, and concludes in Sacramento on Sunday, May 22.

The race features a 20.3km individual time trial on stage six and a testing summit finish on stage three, both of which will shape the general classification.

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.