Richie Porte (BMC)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Australian national champion Jack Bobridge heads out for a ride(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Jack Bobridge in his green and gold national jesey(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Richie Porte (BMC)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Richie Porte (BMC)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) with race director Mike Turtur(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rohan Dennis (BMC)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Richie Porte (BMC)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rohan Dennis and Richie Porte(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC gets ready for Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Real BMC riders and their photographic counterparts(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rein Taaramae (Katusha)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Etixx-Quickstep team for Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Martin Velits (Etixx-Quickstep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Etixx-Quickstep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Czech champion Petr Vakoc (Etixx-Quickstep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Davide Martinelli (Etixx-Quickstep)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Cannondale team gets ready to ride(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Cyril Gautier and his AG2R La Mondiale teammates(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tiago Machado (Katusha)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Swiss champion Danilo Wyss with BMC director Allan Pieper(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Nathan Haas models the Dimension Data kit(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Teams have been gathering in and around Adelaide, Australia, for more than a week now to prepare for the start of the Santos Tour Down Under, the first WorldTour race of 2016.
Rohan Dennis, BMC's Australian defending champion, didn't have to travel far, but others from Katusha, Dimension Data, Cannondale and Etixx-QuickStep have made the journey to the Southern Hemisphere.
The six-stage race begins on Tuesday, January 19, with a 130.8km opener from Prospect to Lyndoch, and continues on January 20 with a 132km stage from Unley to Stirling. Stage 3 takes riders over 139km from Glenelg to Campbelltown, followed by a 138km stage from Norwood to Victor Harbor on Friday, January 22. The infamous Wilunga Hill stage takes place on Saturday with the 151.5km route that starts in McLaren Vale. The race concludes Saturday with a 90km criterium-like stage in Adelaide.
Cyclingnews will be on the ground there next week to bring you all the action, but for now you can check out the gallery above to see the teams and riders getting ready for their season opener.
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