"It's a race that I've wanted to do for a while" - Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig to ride Tour Down Under for the first time

Quite surprisingly, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig had never been to the traditional season opener, the Tour Down Under. Talking to GCN, the 28-year-old Dane lady explains a bit why that is the case, as well as her own goals for the three-day stage race.

"Why not?" she responds on why she had chosen to make her debut now of all times. "Initially my boyfriend, he's Australian, so it's just super nice to be here and get two times summer and get some racing early."

"It's a race that I've wanted to do for quite a while, but just never really had the opportunity to go here yet," Uttrup Ludwig explained. "But now, it was time, and I'm excited to be doing it. And I think I've heard the Australian crowds are really awesome."

"I'll be helping Grace as much as I can," she confirmed her goals for the race. "We are sending a strong team. Of course, we want to defend the title - when you're coming in as a defending champion, you want to do well. Hopefully you can see some fireworks."