Rohan Dennis will lead Team INEOS at the Tour Down Under

The Australian, racing in Team INEOS colours for the first time, leads a strong lineup for the first race of the 2020 season – the team’s first full campaign as Team INEOS.

Pavel Sivakov and Dylan van Baarle will also give the team options in Adelaide, while Chris Lawless will contest the sprint stages. Owain Doull, Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard complete the seven-man team.

Sport Director Brett Lancaster will be at the helm for the WorldTour opener.

He said: “We’re taking seven strong guys into the race. Rohan has won the race before and knows what it takes to win. He will be our leader in his hometown. 

“But we’ve got great insurance policies in Pavel and Dylan. They’ve been here training since the new year and are both in good shape. We’ve got some cards to play and the Paracombe stage, on day three, will show very clearly where we’re all at. 

“We also have Chris for the sprint days and by all accounts he’s in good condition. We’re gonna give it a good go.”

Sivakov and Van Baarle have been training on the Gold Coast since the turn of the year. Dennis will join them shortly, having finished second in the Australian national time trial championships on Wednesday. The trio will join up with Doull, Lawless, Rowe and Stannard on the 15th January in Adelaide and the team will recon key stages together ahead of the race.