"I've done six weeks without cycling, so I think the best thing now is to go back to racing" - Filippo Ganna

Filippo Ganna and Elia Viviani will be racing the Track Nations Cup in early February in Australia, and have made the trip over earlier so as to use the Tour Down Under as preparation. Ganna is hoping to get his racing rhythm back during these upcoming days of racing.

“I've done six weeks without cycling, so I think the best thing now is to go back to racing and try to have a good feeling in the race,” Ganna said in the press conference this Monday. He is one of the stars of this year's event and will gather attention most certainly everyday, as he looks to test himself.

In the sprints he and Viviani should both have chances, and determine between each other who leads out who. In the hilly stages he may have his own chances, whilst the final two days will be hard for him but he could try to go for a strong GC if he has good feedback - if not, he could help Jhonatan Narváez, who has won the Down Under Classic.

"At the moment, I believe that Jonathan Narvaez can do a better race than me, we saw at the Criterium that he was in good shape," the INEOS Grenadiers rider adds. "We'll see by the end of the week whether I'll have good legs again or not."