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The Garmin team has grown and emerged as a major force in the UCI ProTour in recent years and looks on track to do even better in 2010.

General Manager Jonathan Vaughters has secured extended backing for the team in the recent months with Garmin confirming their sponsorship until 2013 and Transitions Optical added as another major sponsor.

In 2009 the team won important one-day races and performed well in major stage races. Bradley Wiggins was the revelation of the Tour de France and Christian Vandevelde was eighth overall only weeks after recovering from a nasty injury at the Giro d’Italia.

American sprinter Tyler Farrar emerged as Mark Cavendish’s biggest rival. He won the Vattenfall Cyclassics one-day race in Germany in the summer and then won a stage at the Vuelta a España.

Wiggins has moved to Team Sky but Garmin’s roster looks even stronger in 2010 after Vaughters carefully reinforced the team. Vandevelde will again be team leader in major stage races but will have excellent support from Tour of Missouri winner David Zabriskie, Britain’s David Millar, the rapidly improving Irish climber Dan Martin, and lanky Belgian Johan Van Summeren.

Garmin have built a high-speed lead out train for Farrar, with South Africa’s Robert Hunter, Brazil’s Murilo Fischer and Australia’s Matt Wilson joining Julian Dean for the fast finishes. Quality neo-pros include Jack Bobridge – the Under 23 World Time Trial Champion – and Peter Stetina.

“The progress we have made together in the past two seasons shows what a perfect environment Garmin-Slipstream is for our mix of riders. I’m incredibly excited to see what the next three years have to hold,” Vaughters said.