Mark Cavendish and Steve Cummings on Dimension Data's Tour de France long list

Dimension Data unveil strong list of sprint and opportunistic stage contenders for the 2016 Tour de France this July

Mark Cavendish wins stage eight of the 2016 Tour of California

(Image credit: Watson)

Mark Cavendish and Steve Cummings have both been named on Team Dimension Data's 13-rider long list for the 2016 Tour de France (July 2-24).

The British duo are front-runners for selection by the South African team as the list will be whittled down to nine riders for the start of the 2016 Tour in Normandy on Saturday, July 2.

Cavendish would go into the Tour as one of the race's most successful riders, and will be seeking to add to his career tally of 26 victories. The 31-year-old Manxman is currently third in the all-time list of Tour stage winners behind Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinault (28).

>>> Tour de France 2016: Latest news, reports and info

Cummings, 35, has enjoyed a successful 2016 to date, using his talent for late attacking to win stages of Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of the Basque Country and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Last year, Cummings won stage 14 of the Tour.

Eritrean star Daniel Teklehaimanot is another rider named on the long list that is almost assured a place. He held the King of the Mountains lead for a spell during last year's Tour, and won the mountains classification at the 2016 Critérium du Dauphiné for a second successive year.

>>> Daniel Teklehaimanot makes history at the Tour de France

Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen is enjoying a resurgence in form, having won a stage and the points classification at the Dauphiné. He won two stages in the 2011 Tour while with Team Sky.

The final roster for Dimension Data's line-up with consist of key support for Cavendish in the sprints, as well as a selection of riders seeking opportunites on hilly and mountain stages – such as Cummings, Boasson Hagen and Teklehaimanot.

Daniel Teklehaimanot on stage 8 of the Tour de France

Daniel Teklehaimanot with Eritrean fans on stage eight of the 2015 Tour de France
(Image credit: Yuzuru Sunada)

Dimension Data long list for 2016 Tour de France

Natnael Berhane (Eri)

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor)

Mark Cavendish (GBr)

Steve Cummings (GBr)

Bernhard Eisel (Aut)

Tyler Farrar (USA)

Jacques Janse van Rensburg (RSA)

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (RSA)

Serge Pauwels (Bel)

Youcef Reguigui (Alg)

Mark Renshaw (Aus)

Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri)

Jaco Venter (RSA)

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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.