With confirmation that Esteban Chaves will be making his 2017 season debut in Australia at the Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and Herald Sun Tour, Orica-BikeExchange director sportif Matt White has outlined the team's ambition for the summer races and background to the decision to bring the Colombian down under.
"We were talking about more than one year ago. We haven't made public our plans for Esteban next year but regardless of what he ends up doing, it works whether he does the Giro or the Tour," White Cyclingnews of the decision to start his season in Australia. "Obviously, discussions go on with different race organisers but when did it become reality? When we decided to pull the trigger on it."
Chaves isn't making the trip down under to simply enjoy the sunshine with the podium finisher at the 2016 Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana to co-lead the Orica-BikeExchange team alongside Simon Gerrans. The team has won the race on three occasions with Gerrans and is aiming to make it back-to-back overall victories for the first time in 2017.
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"Try and win the win the bike race," White said of the team ambitions for the first WorldTour race of the season. "Gerro will be going in trying to defend his title but it just gives us another card to play. Particularly with the addition of Paracombe and to simplify the race, it will be won on two climbs. The Paracombe climb and the on Willunga. It gives us great options."
In 2016, Gerrans won two stages in his way to the overall with fast man Caleb Ewan also winning two stages as the team enjoyed its most successful Tour Down Under to date and set the scene for memorable season.
"Caleb is coming as well so we have a few things on the cards for that week. We have done it in the past and it will be a very similar team to what came out this year," White added of the team aims for January.
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