After winning a stage and wearing the ochre jersey for four days in 2019, Patrick Bevin will return to the 2020 Santos Tour Down Under looking to make another strong showing.
Bevin will have the support of an experienced CCC Team as he looks to repeat his breakthrough performance of 2019, Sports Director Jackson Stewart said.
“Looking at this year’s race route, a major difference from last year’s edition is the finish in Paracombe on Stage 3. I think we could see the explosive climbers gain some valuable time and bonus seconds for the General Classification, as in the past. I expect the GC teams will take control of the race earlier with that deciding stage coming halfway through the race,” Stewart explained.
“We are bringing a strong and motivated roster to support Patrick Bevin, who showed what he is capable of in 2019. We started the season at the Tour Down Under better than many expected I think, and naturally we want to win a stage this year after last year’s success. But, it’s a new year and a new race. We have the motivation and confidence from last year’s performance but, we expect a strong field and won’t be lining up as the favorites.”
A surprise victory on stage two in 2019 saw Bevin outsprint the likes of Peter Sagan and Caleb Ewan and net the first WorldTour win of the New Zealander’s career.
Bevin returns with unfinished business after a nasty crash on stage five all but ended his chances of defending the ochre jersey on the final day of racing.
“I’m really looking forward to getting the 2020 season underway at the Santos Tour Down Under. It was nice to win a stage last year, lead the race for the best part of the week, and come away with the points jersey. But, being so close to the overall win is always going to be a tough memory for me. I take confidence knowing I was close and I can be close again,” Bevin said.
“I think we’re in for a harder Tour Down Under this year but I really like the course. I’m happy that they have brought the Stirling finish back as I like that stage, it’s a really hard one. Overall, I think it will be a tougher race and the battle for bonus seconds will be on from stage one but they will be harder to come by.”
CCC Team will arrive in Adelaide on January 5 for a two-week training camp to acclimatize to the Australian summer conditions.
Santos Tour Down Under (21-26 January)
Rider roster: Patrick Bevin (NZ), Josef Černý (CZE), Simon Geschke (GER), Szymon Sajnok (POL), Joey Rosskopf (USA), Francisco Ventoso (ESP), Łukasz Wišniowski (POL).
Sports Director: Jackson Stewart (USA)
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