Team Katusha set to win its first ever Tour Down Under
Team Katusha has announced its seven men squad for the 2012 Tour Down Under. The 14th edition of the race is scheduled to start on the 17th of January 2012, where the cyclists will cover a total distance of 803 kilometres during the
six days of cycling.
Russian Team Katusha was founded in 2009 and it has never won the Australian stage race previously.
The team will start the new season with a strong side including some of the top cyclists, Giampaolo Caruso, Maxim Belkov, Xavier Florencio, Luca Paolini, Eduard Vorganov and Gatis Smukulis.
One surprise package in the team is the inclusion of Oscar Freire who has strengthened the team for the coming season.
The Spaniard is amongst the favourites to win the 2012 version of the race and he will have a strong side to back him up during the six-day stage race.
Oscar’s inclusion will not only help the team but also the organisers as he will attract a number of fans at the event.
Race organizer, Mike Turtur commented on the rider, "Freire has accomplished what only legends like Alfredo Binda, Eddy Merckx and Rik Van Steenbergen have been able to do: win three World Championships [1999, 2001, 2004]".
He further added that, "He is one of the most impressive riders of the last decade and it will be really exciting for fans to see him take to the start line and for him to bring his competitive edge to the race".
Stuart O’ Grady won the first edition of the race in 1999 while the Australian cyclist, Cameron Meyer won the race in 2011.
The six stages in the race do not include any time trial stage which is the reason why most of the stages finish in a bunch sprint.
Andre Greipel of Germany and Stuart O’ Grady of Australia are the two cyclists who have won the race twice so far. Team Katusha has won many events during the recent years, including various Classics wins, Grand Tour stages and overall victories.
The Russian squad is hopeful to win its first ever Tour Down Under and start off its season on a positive note.
Tags: