While Lance Armstrong has now been confirmed as a starter in the 63rd edition of Paris-Nice, Robert Hunter has also received the green light from his Phonak team to lead their sprinting charge in tour, which will be held from March 6-13.

The race – the first in the new Pro Tour format - will also see two-time winner Alexandre Vinokourov  leading the T-Mobile team. Last year’s winner Jörg Jaksche will defend the title in the colours of Liberty Seguros.

Davide Rebellin will be team captain at Gerolsteiner while Jens Voigt and Carlos Sastre will lead an impressively strong CSC squad who were on top in the recent Tour de Mediterraneen - finishing in 1st 2nd and 4th place overall.

Other riders that will be competing at Paris-Nice are Hunter who finds himself in the illustrious company of Victor Hugo Pena, Nicolas Jalabert and Floyd Landis (Phonak) as well as Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues), Axel Merckx, Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto), José Azevedo, Manuel Beltran, Vjatcheslav Ekimov, George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych, José Luis Rubiera, Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery), Inigo Cuesta (Saunier Duval-Prodir), Jaan Kirsipuu (Crédit Agricole), Jean-Patrick Nazon, Mark Scanlon (Ag2R), Juan Antonio Flecha, Dario Frigo, Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo), Erik Dekker and Thomas Dekker (Rabobank).

Hunter has had two great wins to get the season of to a flying start and will be looking forward to continuing the battle for the line with the elite performers of  world cycling.