Barloworld upbeat on Soler

The 25-year-old, who won a stage and the polka dot climber's jersey in the Tour last year, fractured his wrist in the Giro and returned to his native Colombia.

"We're constantly in touch with him and we know that the injury to his wrist is still causing him some problems," team manager Claudio Corti explained.

"However medical specialists told us that the complete healing of the bone only occurs after 40 days and so it is normal that he still feels some pain. The pain should ease over time."

Corti is quietly optimistic about the team's chances with sprinters Robert Hunter and Baden Cooke hoping to make an impact in the first week.

"We can't automatically expect to get the same impressive results but we will be aiming to do even better this year," Corti said.

"We won't be considered an 'outsider' this year and will be at the start in Brest determined to do well throughout the Tour de France."

Team: Mauricio Soler (Colombia), Robert Hunter (South Africa), Baden Cooke (Australia), Felix Cardenas (Colombia), Paolo Longo Borghini (Italy), Moises Duenas Nevado (Spain), Gianpaolo Cheula (Italy), John-Lee Augustyn (South Africa) and Christopher Froome (Kenya).