Richie Porte will make his Trek-Segafredo debut at the Tour Down Under when the stage race gets underway in Adelaide in January.
The 33-year-old Australian switched from BMC Racing to Trek in the off season after his former team’s future was thrown into doubt by the death of its main financial backer last year.
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Porte finished second at the Tour Down Under last year and took a superb stage victory up the now-famous Willunga Hill – a stage he has now emerged victorious on for five years in a row.
But, having crashed out of the last two editions of the Tour de France, he still has plenty to prove heading into the new season.
He said: “The Tour Down Under is always a goal for me in the start of the season and it’s a joy to race in Adelaide every January. “Obviously, riding my first race with Trek-Segafredo in Australia, I will be extra motivated to start with a good showing on GC and hope to continue the Willunga success.
“There is to be a very strong bunch of GC favourites racing who want to win the race so I know I’ll need to be on top of my game and I will be.”
