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THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Peloton heads Down Under for season kick-off
Adelaide, Australia - Tour de France star Robbie McEwen is set to get his rivalry with Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd off to an early start this season when the eighth Tour Down Under gets underway in Adelaide Tuesday.
Liberty Seguros all rounder Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, 22, will be defending the general classification title in the five stage race around the southern Australian city and the neighboring wine-growing region.
But before then most people are anticipating and hoping that Hushovd and McEwen will provide some of the sparks that have accompanied their now habitual rivalry at the world's biggest bike race in July. Belgium-based Brisbane native McEwen is a former two-time winner of the Tour de France green jersey for the sprinters' points competition, a prize that Hushovd finally landed last July after years of battling the 33-year-old Aussie for it.
It's early in the season for most cycling professionals, but a committed cross-country-skier, Hushovd is known for his serious approach and said he hoped to score a few upsets on his race debut here.
"I'm feeling good coming into the race and the team is pretty strong. I'm hoping to beat a few Australians here," said the 28-year-old.
Whether McEwen is feeling as motivated as he would be if this race were the Tour de France is up for debate, and the Davitamon-Lotto team's prolific sprinter, who has won 11 stages on the Tour Down Under to date among the dozens of prestigious victories he has bagged elsewhere, appears to have left his rivals guessing.
"I'm not going as well right now as I usually would at this stage of the season but I think the legs will start to get going as the race goes on during the week," he said.
Despite the presence of a hungry Australian Allan Davis, the talented sprinter from Liberty Seguros who has yet to win a stage in the race despite numerous attempts, and Italian Luca Paolini, it would be foolish to write McEwen off.
Tuesday's 50km prelude to Wednesday's first stage proper, over 148km, is held in the center of Adelaide over a two-kilometer circuit.
