Two weeks remain until the start of the Santos Tour Down Under but the desire to build up some more pre-race miles and also to adjust to the scorching Australian temperatures mean that the first of the international riders will already arrive tomorrow.
Former world under 23 champion and Vuelta stage winner Gerald Ciolek will fly into Adelaide tomorrow morning, travelling from Europe via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The German will be the leader of the Omega Pharma Quick Step team and, given his sprinting ability plus his strength on short climbs, could well be a contender for the final victory. This year’s Santos Tour Down Under will include its usual sprint finishes, but also takes in what will be a decisive summit arrival on Old Willunga Hill.
Three other strong riders will also fly into Australia early, with their flights arriving early on Wednesday. RadioShack Nissan’s Linus Gerdemann, a former stage winner and yellow jersey in the Tour de France, is one of those, with the remaining two both coming from the Sky Procycling team.
They are double Tour de France stage winner Edvald Boasson Hagen, another potential Santos Tour Down Under victor, plus former European time trial champion Alex Dowsett.
The four riders are likely to begin with a short training ride in order to try to get over the jet lag, and will be able to ramp up the distance and intensity after that.
Boasson Hagen, Dowsett and Gerdemann will each be making their debuts in the race. Ciolek already competed in the race in 2010, with a relatively quiet campaign; team leadership means that he’ll be more ambitious this time round.