UniSA-Australia announces Women's Team for WTDU

Katrin Garfoot will lead the UniSA-Australia National Team in the 2018 Santos Women's Tour Down Under [pic: Casey Gibson]

INAUGURAL Santos Women's Tour Down Under general classification winner Katrin Garfoot will lead the Australian National Team in 2018's event.

Having previously run out of the GreenEDGE stable and this year to ride the Queensland Academy of Sport following the Commonwealth Games, Garfoot will lead a team of Australia's top talent in the event, with five of the six riders for January released by the team today.

The final spot will be confirmed following the Australian road nationals in January.

The UniSA-Australia team hosts riders who are not listed with pro teams, or are contracted to outfits that aren't contesting the race.

Garfoot - a triple world championship medallist - won the first general classification in the Santos WTDU in 2016.

Also riding for UniSA-Australia will be Shara Gillow and Lauren Kitchen, who ride for FDJ Nouvelle-Acuitaine Futuroscope, Rachel Neylan (Movistar), Tiff Cromwell (CANYON/SRAM).

"I am happy to have a spot in such a fantastic team this summer, these girls deserve a ride and I am proud to be a part of the team," said Garfoot.

"My goal is to have a great race plan and to have a great race with the team."

Kitchen has finished top-four in the WTDU in the last two years, while local favourite Cromwell returns to her local event after winning a stage of the Giro Rosa.

Gillow is a four-time national time trial champion, while Neylan won silver in the world championship road race in 2012.

"I think it is great that all the girls get a chance to ride the UCI races this summer, especially these races counts towards the Commonwealth Games selection," Garfoot said.

"I may know that I have ticked a lot of boxes for selections, but for me that still does not take the pressure off. I still have to perform on my best standard.

"Having the opportunity to race this Australian summer season will give us all a chance to test our legs and get us back into a race routine ahead of the Commonwealth Games."

Cycling Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport coach Kim Palmer said the opportunity to run the team at the Santos Women's TDU - this year a UCI 2.1-category stage race - was exciting.

Katrin Garfoot leads the 2016 Santos Women's Tour Down Under [pic: Tour Down Under/Kevin Anderson]

"It is exciting to be part of this world-class event and to have such an exciting opportunity for Australian riders to compete in their home country on the world stage," Palmer said.

"There are very strong teams racing and having so many talented and experienced athletes in the team will lend itself to many opportunities and cards to play.

"This is certainly a team that has the strength and depth to challenge the podium."

UniSA will continue to support the Santos Tour Down Under in 2018 as the naming-rights sponsor of the national men's and women's teams competing in the event.

“As one of Australia’s leading sporting and tourism events, the Tour is extremely important in presenting all that is wonderful about South Australia to the world,” said UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd. “We are delighted to be sponsoring both the women’s and men’s teams.

“As Australia’s university of enterprise, we are in the business of supporting people to reach their career goals and with the Tour we feel we are doing that for some of Australia’s most talented cyclists.”

The Santos Women's Tour Down Under will commence on Thursday 11 January and concludes on Sunday 14 January at the People's Choice Classic.

UniSA-Australia start list

Katrin Garfoot (Australia)

Shara Gillow (Australia)

Rachel Neylan (Australia)

Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)

Lauren Kitchen (Australia)

*Remaining position to be announced after January 7.