Blues head to Australia

UCI WorldTour's opening event (January 15-22) set to kick off Eusebio Unzué-led squad's 38th season in professional cycling

As with every season for the last decade, the Movistar Team will start their 2017 with the Tour Down Under (17-22 January), the opening race of the UCI WorldTour, which includes six stages – two of them short mountain-top finishes, in Paracombe (Wednesday 18) and Old Willunga Hill (Saturday 21) – suited for sprinters and explosive climbers. The action will begin two days earlier at the traditional People's Choice Classic (Sunday 15).

The Blues will be travelling to Adelaide this weekend, their seven-man lineup including two of the Spanish outfit's signings for the new season: Carlos Barbero – expected to be their sprinting weapon – and Víctor de la Parte. The full list also features Jasha Sütterlin, Gorka Izagirre, Marc Soler and brothers José and Jesús Herrada.