January 10, 2015, 9:38 PM
ADELAIDE, Australia — Tour de France stage-winner and 2012 Giro D’Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal will launch his 2015 season in Australia’s Tour Down Under as the lead rider for the Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling team.
The Canadian will be joined in a multi-national lineup by Australia’s Nathan Haas, New Zealand’s Jack Bauer, Denmark’s Lasse Hansen, Alex Howes of the United States and Italians Moreno Moser and Davide Villella.
Tour director Mike Turtur said Hesjedal is "making a welcome return to our peloton after last opening his season here in 2012 before going on to win a Grand Tour later that same year."
The Tour Down Under, raced around Adelaide in South Australia state, is the first event of the 2015 World Tour season.