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Tour Down Under announces National team riders ahead of January race

The Tour Down Under is the first major race of the 2023 season and for the first time will be held at WorldTour level for both men and women. After a 2 year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the race sees the return of top-level racing to Australia for the first time since January 2020. As per the rules, the Tour Down Under is allowed to select a National team of Australians whose teams aren’t attending the race. For men, that normally means there are a couple of decent Aussie riders who aren’t in the WorldTour and will make the race stronger. Women’s WomenTour teams aren’t obligated to attend so their National team can be made up of WWT riders as well as Continental riders too.

Caleb Ewan will be the star rider on the Men’s National team. He has 60 professional victories over the years, including 9 at the Tour Down Under. He is a 5-time Grand Tour stage winner. His team Lotto Dstny won’t be part of the WorldTour in 2023 so Ewan and his teammate Jarrad Drizners will be able to represent the National team this year.

They are joined by Commonwealth Games team pursuit medallist Conor Leahy, Graeme Frislie and James Moriarty. The final members of the National team come from Team Bridgelane. As the winner of the 2022 National Road Series, the team is eligible to choose 2 riders for the National team – they have chosen Zac Marriage and Liam Walsh.

The Women’s National team is led by the 2022 national champion Nicole Fraine, who races for Parkhotel Valkenburg in Europe. She’s joined by Cofidis’ Rachel Neylan and the Oceania continental champion Josie Talbot. After racing for Farto-BTC in 2022, she will join Neylan at Cofidis from 2023. The young trio of Alli Anderson, Haylee Fuller and Anya Louw will make up the full contingent of 6 riders.

“Caleb has developed a strong following at the Santos Tour Down Under, thanks to his sprinting prowess and ability to mastermind victories at high speed. He was a standout in 2020, including a breathtaking win on Stage Two into Stirling and claiming his fourth Schwalbe Classic, and he will be in the mix again this year, particular on Ziptrak® Men’s Stage 1 in the Barossa and THINK! Road Safety Men’s Stage 4 in Willunga. 

The Women’s team has a great mix of established talent like Nicole and Rachel, mixed with some of the most exciting emerging riders in the country. The Australian National Teams at the Santos Tour Down Under have a reputation of showcasing the next crop of Australian super stars and while riders like Caleb will grab headlines, cycling fans will have their eye on some of the exciting under 23 talent in these teams.” 

Stuart O’Grady, Tour Down Under race director

Men’s Tour Down Under National Team Line-up

  • Caleb Ewan
  • Jarrad Drizners
  • Conor Leahy
  • Graeme Frislie
  • James Moriarty
  • Zac Marriage
  • Liam Walsh

Women’s Tour Down Under National Team Line-up

  • Nicole Frain
  • Rachel Neylan
  • Josie Talbot
  • Alli Anderson
  • Haylee Fuller
  • Anya Louw