Indurain supports Tour Down Under

Five time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain has thrown his support behind the ProTour's newest event, the Tour Down Under. Indurain arrived in South Australia just before Christmas in advance of the 2008 ProTour's first event, which begins January 22 in Glenelg, outside Adelaide, South Australia.

Indurain was positive about the Tour Down Under's inclusion in the ProTour - the first time the series has gone outside of Europe. "This race is perfect for the start of the season," Indurain enthused. "It's a comfortable race and every day the cyclists come back to the same place.

The Spaniard did not worry about the lack of high mountain stages in the event, saying that despite the relatively gentle parcours, the event had an important place on the calendar. "It's good not to have big mountains. The preparation is what they need."

"The race is becoming so important in Australia. It's expanding the cycling world and I wanted to compare this race with the European races."