Mitchell Docker (Orica GreenEdge) and Frederik Backaert (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) in the breakaway during stage 1 at Criterium du Dauphine(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Jack Haig (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Orica-GreenEdge's Christian Meier at the early-season Classic Sud-Ardèche(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Shayne Bannan with new signing King Lok Cheung(Image credit: Orica-GreenEdge)
Jens Keukeleire (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Orica-GreenEdge are sending a youthful squad to contest the 23rd edition of the UCI 2.1 Tour de Slovenia, starting June 16 in Ljubljana, with the ambition of stage win success. The Australian team has won four stages at the race in the past since its 2012 debut.
Mitch Docker, Jack Haig, Christian Meier, Jens Keukeleire and Cheung King Lok will represent the team across the four stages.
"We won't be going into the race looking for a result in the general classification," said sports director Matt Wilson. "It's a compact squad for this year put together with the sole objective of achieving good stage results.
"The team is nicely balanced with a mix of youth and experience. Mitch Docker, Jens Keukeleire, Christian Meier and Jack Haig all come into the team directly off of a run of good performances in the Criterium du Dauphine."
Orica-GreenEdge have won 13 races so far in 2016 and Wilson believes the squad assembled for Slovenia can boost that tally following on from several strong performances from the team across June.
"We will definitely be looking to carry this form into the race. Jack has shown on the mountain stages that he is progressing very well at this level and this race will provide more valuable experience for him," he added.
Lok Cheung, who joined the team in March, starts his third stage race with Orica-GreenEdge following Tour de Yorkshire and Tour de Luxembourg.
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"Cheung has adapted nicely so far," said Wilson. "It is not easy to move halfway around the world mid-season, but he has risen to the challenge and the more racing he gets the more he will develop."
