Ready to push for a strong Classics campaign and then to try to take his first-ever Tour de France stage victory, Tyler Farrar will get his season underway in 2011 at the Santos Tour Down Under.
The American will make his debut in the ProTour race as part of the Garmin-Cervélo squad and, given the nature of previous editions, could end up fighting for the overall victory. André Griepel won in 2008 and 2010, while Allan Davis came out best last year. The event tends to favour strong riders who can cope with a reasonable amount of short climbs.
“It’s great for our race to have a cyclist of Farrar’s calibre competing here in January. I believe he could be the next big threat to international sprinters,” said race organiser Mike Turtur.
“Farrar has had an impressive season, with two stage wins each in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, as well as finishing top three in some Tour de France stages despite a broken wrist. He has also won the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Germany for the last two years.”
Farrar is the only rider from the team who has been named at this point in time, but further details of the Garmin-Cervélo lineup will come before the start of the event. It runs from January 16th to 23rd and will mark the debut of the new-look team.
Former Australian pro Matt White will most likely act as directeur sportif for the team, and he is sure that the American strong-man will make a good impression.
“We are proud and excited to bring Tyler, one of the worlds best sprinters, along with a great team to the Santos Tour Down Under. As usual, we will look to animate the race and we're confident that with Tyler and the rest of our squad, we'll do just that,” he said.
The Garmin team has essentially absorbed a substantial portion of the Cervélo Test Team, with world champion Thor Hushovd, former Tour de France stage winner Heinrich Haussler, Roger Hammond, Andreas Klier, Brett Lancaster, Daniel Lloyd and Gabriel Rasch all moving across. Frame company Cervélo will also make the jump, as will a large part of the women’s team.
Given their planned Classics campaign, it is very possible that Hushovd, Australian competitor Haussler and some of the others who moved will also look to compete in Australia. Starting the season early increases the chances of hitting peak form in April, making the Santos Tour Down Under the idea event to ride.
Farrar is the second rider to be confirmed as riding the ProTour event next year. The first, Lance Armstrong, will retire from international competition after the race.