Philip Deignan (second left) last rode in the top flight for Radioshack three years ago and after a fantastic 2013 with UnitedHealthcare he's back in the big time (Photo: Team Sky)
Here’s the first look at Ireland’s Philip Deignan in the colours of Team Sky, which he has just joined after a fantastic year at US-based Pro Continental team UnitedHealthcare.
The Donegal rider is pictured above, second from left, with some of his team mates for the year ahead in an image released by the team today, Thursday.
The 30-year-old will ride the season-opening Tour Down Under in Australia, which runs from January 19th to 26th.
He has been selected to ride the eight-day stage race alongside Richie Porte, Ian Stannard, Bernard Eisel, Chris Sutton, Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas.
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Team Sky race coach Kurt-Asle Arvesen said the UK squad was looking forward to getting the new season underway.
“We have a really strong team heading to the Tour Down Under. Both Geraint and Richie have a good chance of being up there,” he said.
“It’s a nice course and it looks like there will be two key stages again like last year for the GC. We need to be on our toes. We learned our lessons last year that we need to get out there well before the race. That’s what we’re going to do this year. It’s always a great way to start the season and we’ll be more than ready for the race.
“Everyone is motivated: the Classics guys, Philip in his first race and also Richie. It’s been a few years since he’s done the race. He’s been out there in Adelaide and he knows the key stages. It’s a strong group.”
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Deignan will hope to start well in Australia, having had some time off the bike since breaking his collarbone in the Tour of Britain in September.
That injury ruled him out of contention for the UCI World Road Championships in Florence.
However, he was lucky not to suffer any more serious injury than cuts and bruises after crashing on a slick roundabout at training camp in early December. That has not derailed any of his plans and he has been given the nod to start in Australia.
Team Sky usually perform well in the race and have been on the podium on three of the last four seasons – though a win has so far eluded them.
They will be eager to improve on third place last year through Thomas. Once again the team will be led by Thomas, with Tasmanian Porte also there for general classification.
The race generally features stages surrounding Adelaide, which varies from flat to moderately undulating.
There are no large mountains in the area, giving specialist climbers like Deignan few opportunities to show their particular skills.
However, one notable climb featured involves a summit finish atop Willunga Hill on Stage five – a 3 km climb at an average gradient of 7.6 per cent which often has a big bearing on the overall result.
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