Meyer Set to Lead GreenEDGE WorldTour Debut

GreenEDGE will field an all-Australian squad for its WorldTour debut in Adelaide, South Australia, with reigning Tour Down Under winner and Australian National Time Trial Champion Cameron Meyer (WAIS-AIS) headlining the seven-rider squad for the six-day stage race.

Meyer solidified his overall win in 2011 with a stage victory. He put himself into the only successful breakaway on the fourth stage to pull on the leader’s jersey, which he managed to hold onto until the finish.

“We’re obviously really proud to have such a great line-up for our first race on the WorldTour. Having our debut in Australia is exciting. It’s a race that has gone from strength to strength over the last years. We are trying to honour that by bringing a really competitive roster. It will be a hard race, but we have a good chance to put GreenEDGE on the map in our first big, international competition”, said General Manager Shayne Bannan.

Simon Gerrans, winner of the Tour Down Under in 2006, and Stuart O’Grady, twice an overall Tour Down Under winner in the race’s early editions and second overall in 2009, bolster general classification ambitions.

The overall contenders will be joined by veteran fast-man Robbie McEwen who holds the impressive record of 12 Tour Down Under stage wins and by the young and talented Leigh Howard. The 2011 Australian National Road Champion Jack Bobridge rounds out the roster.

“The riders we have selected reflect the various scenarios that could very well play out in the race. We’ll have a good chance of being up there in the sprints, but with the new stage finish on Willunga Hill, we also come prepared for a different style of racing. All in all, we are really looking forward to kick starting the WorldTour with a great race to show that the team is here to compete at the highest level,” Bannan said.