Rogers, Hincapie to race in Tour Down Under
Posted
Australia's Michael Rogers will be making his first Tour Down Under appearance since 2005 when he races in the next edition in Adelaide in January.
Rogers, who won the event in 2002, will be part of a Team Columbia outfit featuring George Hincapie, the former team-mate of Lance Armstrong.
Armstrong is coming out of retirement and returning to professional cycling in the South Australian race.
A 13-time Tour de France veteran, Hincapie was a former team-mate of Armstrong and played an important role in all of the American great's seven Tour de France victories.
"Team Columbia is sending a very strong line-up to compete at the 2009 Tour Down Under," race director Mike Turtur said in a statement.
"The inclusion of an experienced rider such as Hincapie, who is such a reliable and solid competitor, will really add to our world-class cycling spectacle.
"The Tour Down Under will be the first time that Hincapie and Armstrong will compete against each other on opposing teams."
Last year's winner Andre Greipel will be back with Team Columbia to defend his title.
The German won this year's event in dominant fashion, beating Australian Allan Davis by 15 seconds to take the opening UCI ProTour race of the season.
Greipel went on to finish fifth overall in the ProTour rider rankings this year.
Rogers's compatriots Mark Renshaw and Adam Hansen are also part of Team Columbia's team.
-AFP/Reuters
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