Greipel one of many at High Road

By Paul Verkuylen in Adelaide, Australia

Andre Greipel has only ridden five races so far this season, but his form has so far dictated that he will be a man to watch in the early part of the season when it comes down to a bunch gallop. Winning his first race of the season on Sunday, the Down Under Classic in Glenelg, he has gone on to take two stages of the Tour Down Under against some of the best sprinters in the world.

Team High Road have a number of already high-profile sprinters in their ranks, including Mark Cavendish, Gerald Ciolek and new signing Edvald Boasson Hagen, meaning they have a luxury problem of sorts. However, Greipel remains calm about the possible conflict of interest amongst these riders, expecting team management to take control of the situation.

"I think that there are a lot of races and I think that every sprinter can win races," he explained. "It is up to the sport directors to say who will get the support of the team."

The German is racing in Australia with the aim of gaining the confidence of the High Road management in order to lead the team in some of the big events on the calendar. "Here at the Tour Down Under I will try and win whatever possible. The best answer is to win races for me," he said.

But the German is not getting too carried away, showing that he is as calculated as he is strong at the moment. "It's still early in the season, I don't know how my shape will be in the next month," he added.

Next up on the German's itinerary is a stop in California where he will attend the team's training camp before heading back to Europe for Paris-Nice.