André Greipel is set to lead his new OmegaPharma-Lotto team to the southern hemisphere to take part in the Santos Tour Down Under, which starts on January 16th. The German sprinter will be part of a six-rider European team contingent, which will fly to Adelaide, South Australia, via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.
Greipel won last year’s race, as well as the 2008 edition, thanks to winning a number of stages, while riding for the HTC-Columbia team. This year he may find that his toughest competition comes from his former team in the form of big sprint rival Mark Cavendish. While Cavendish is regarded as the fastest man in the World though, comparisons between the two are difficult as the Manxman refused to allow Greipel on the same team while the two were at HTC-Columbia.
Along with Greipel, the European contingent of the OmegaPharma-Lotto team will consist of fellow German Marcel Sieberg, Belgians Olivier Kaisen, Jürgen Roelandts and Jurgen Van de Walle, as well as Spaniard Vicente Reynes; the team will be directed by Herman Frison.
The team will be completed for the Santos Tour Down Under by Australian Adam Hansen, who is already in the country. Matthew Lloyd was due to be part of the team, but he suffered a broken shoulder while out training last month. Before the Tour Down Under, Hansen will take part in the Australian Championships next week, with the road race on January 9th and the time trial on the 11th.
Unlike many of the teams at the Santos Tour Down Under, OmegaPharma-Lotto will not be travelling home via the Middle East as it has not received invitations to either the Tour of Qatar or the Tour of Oman.