Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin) leads the best Canadian rider category at the Tour of Alberta(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Kiel Reijnen (UnitedHealthcare) in the green jersey
Peter Stetina (BMC) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jack Bobridge (BudgetForklifts) and Rohan Dennis (BMC) had a late dig
Julian Arredondo (Trek Factory Racing)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Ryder Hesjedal and Keil Reijnen will make their Trek Factory Racing debuts at next month’s Tour Down Under, the team has confirmed to Cyclingnews. Other new signings Peter Stetina and Jack Bobridge will also ride in what is a balanced line-up for the American squad.
It will be the fifth appearance at the Australian race for Hesjedal, who signed for the team this winter after nine years with Garmin. He will be joined Stetina and Julian Arredondo as potential GC contenders for the eight-day race. Stetina is still on the comeback trail after suffering a serious accident at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco earlier this season. Meanwhile, Bobridge - who won a stage and the mountains classification at this year's race - is a wildcard for another stage victory.
Reijnen will be making both his race and WorldTour debut in Adelaide. The 29-year-old sprinter finally got his chance at the top level after an impressive 2015 that saw him win stages of the US Pro Challenge and the Tour of Utah. Along with Reijnen, Trek is sending sprinters Giacomo Nizzolo and Boy Van Poppel.
The Tour Down under is due to begin in Prospect on the outskirts of Adelaide on January 19 and finish back in Adelaide on Sunday January 24. The new signings will get their first chance to meet the rest of the team this month as they meet in Benidorm, Spain for a 10-day training camp.
Trek Factory Racing for Tour Down Under: Julian Arredondo, Jack Bobridge, Ryder Hesjedal, Giacomo Nizzolo, Kiel Reijnen, Peter Stetina, Boy Van Poppel
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Born in Ireland to a cycling family and later moved to the Isle of Man, so there was no surprise when I got into the sport. Studied sports journalism at university before going on to do a Masters in sports broadcast. After university I spent three months interning at Eurosport, where I covered the Tour de France. In 2012 I started at Procycling Magazine, before becoming the deputy editor of Procycling Week. I then joined Cyclingnews, in December 2013.
