The powerful Italian Lampre-Caffita team will debut at Australia's Tour Down Under in January, race organizers said on Tuesday.

The merger of the Saeco and Lampre teams will pull together a strong teamwith 16 Saeco riders, seven Lampre riders and a further three cycling starsfrom Italy.

Saeco and Lampre competed as separate entities in the inaugural Tour DownUnder in 1999 setting the foundation for the event’s strong relationship with Italian cycling.

The Saeco team has returned to Australia to compete in the event five times.

With two-times Giro d'Italia winner Gilberto Simoni set to lead the charge, organizers said the Tour Down Under was shaping up to have the strongest team and individual line-up in the event's history. "To have a Grand Tour winner like Simoni ride at our event means there is a shift in thinking in relation to the preparation of riders who traditionallyhave focused only on competing in the Grand Tours of the world," race director Mike Turtur said in a statement on Tuesday.

Five Athens Olympic cycling champions were last week confirmed as starters in the January 18-23 tour.

Australian Stuart O'Grady, who claimed gold in the Madison in Athens and this year became the first Australian to win a round of the World Cup series, will lead the charge for the Cofidis team.

Britain's triple Olympic medalist Bradley Wiggins will head up the Credit Agricole team in the tour around South Australia.

Graeme Brown and Brett Lancaster, members of the triumphant Australianpursuit team that set a world record in Athens and fellow teams pursuit gold medalist Peter Dawson will also sign on, officials said.