Froome is back in the spotlight for Australia’s largest cycling event

Chris Froome will headline a stellar line-up at the Tour Down Under as road cycling’s World Tour season opens in Adelaide next Wednesday.

The Tour de France four-time champion returns to TDU for the first ever time since 2010, but he describes a “different” role.

He will be joined in Australia by fellow Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas, former Vuelta a Espana champion Simon Yates and last year’s Vuelta winner Jai Hindley.

Australia’s biggest cycling event is back on the World Tour after a two-year break because of the Covid pandemic.

The men’s five-stage TDU gets under way after Tuesday’s 5.5-kilometre (3.5 miles) prologue through Adelaide’s streets.

The three-stage women’s event, now part of the World Tour, begins Sunday.

Froome from Britain is part of the Israel Premier Tech line-up. South African Daryl Impey, who was named TDU winner in 2018, will also race in what will be his last professional season.

After being relegated from the World Tour, the Israel Premier Tech team now operates at the second-division ProTeam Level and rides in the TDU under a wildcard invitation.

Froome admitted that despite receiving a late invite, he is still hopeful of doing his best. He said that he hopes to support Corbin Strong and the other team members deep into the finals. Froome was hurt in a high speed crash during the 2019 Tour de France.

After colliding with a wall, the 37-year old was taken to intensive care.

He said, “My role will be different than previous years, but I am motivated and hope to give the best of my abilities when we kickoff the new season.”

– Aggressive racing –

Thomas, a former Tour de France champion, will be leading INEOS Grenadiers with Luke Plapp from Australia and Leo Hayter (British brothers) as well.

Thomas comes off a third place finish in last year’s Tour de France. He also won the Tour de Suisse.

The Welshman stated, “I look forward to starting my Australian year,”

“The INEOS Grenadiers are a solid team. There are many young men who are talented, so we will race aggressively to get the most out of it.

Yates, who is supporting Australian Michael Matthews in the locally supported Team Jayco-AlUla said that Adelaide was the best place to begin 2023.

Yates stated that although it will only be my second race, it is an unforgettable experience for me and for the entire team.

“I noticed that this year’s route includes the Mount Lofty climb for first time. It looks really difficult.”

Other strong contenders for the ochre leader’s jersey are Australian pair Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma) and Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe).

There is also Italy’s Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Spain’s Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious).

All 18 World Tour teams are listed on the start list, fighting for early wins in the first 35 events of 2023 and UCI ranking points.

For the women’s event, three-time winner Amanda Spratt is back at the head of a strong Trek-Segafredo team.

Grace Brown, a fellow Australian from the FDJ SUEZ team that includes Clara Copponi (French sprinter) will be her main rival.

rsm/pst