Stage winner Alex Manly and Ruby Roseman-Gannon again loom as the trump cards for home team Jayco AlUla at the Tour Down Under.
Manly and Roseman-Gannon were confirmed in a team featuring five Australian cyclists for the January 12-14 Adelaide event.
Manly won stage two this year and took the race lead, only for Grace Brown and Amanda Spratt to crack her on the decisive Corkscrew climb at the end of the third and final stage.
Brown outsprinted Spratt at the finish to claim the title, with Roseman-Gannon taking fourth overall and Manly finishing 11th.
The men's and women's Tour Down Under races are key early-season objectives for Jayco AlUla, Australia's only top-level road cycling team.
The women's steam will race next year as Liv AlUla Jayco .
Georgia Baker, Georgie Howe and Amber Pate will also race in Adelaide, while New Zealander Ella Wyllie will make her debut for the team.
Wyllie, 21, finished eighth overall at the Tour this year, and the team considers her another strong general-classification option.
“As everyone knows, the Santos Tour is a very important race for our team and every time we take that start line, staff, riders and supporters are filled with pride," said women's sport director Megan Chard.
"Our goal is to start the season on a high and carry that momentum through the whole year.
"Our line-up is very strong and very well-balanced.
"We have riders suited to the different terrain and types of stages, and we hope we can put on a great show and come away with more victories in Adelaide.”
