Dutchman Robert Gesink will lead LottoNL-Jumbo into the new 2017 road season in the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia. Along for support, Gesink will have Bert-Jan Lindeman, Enrico Battaglin, Alexey Vermeulen, Robert Wagner, Koen Bouwman and Paul Martens. Addy Engels will be the sports director in Australia.

 Gesink: "I like to start my season in an adventurous way on the other side of the world. I love to ride in Australia and the sixth place in the GC is my best result in the Tour Down Under. I’m feeling well and hope to ride a good GC."

The event kicks off with the People’s Choice Classic, two days before, on January 15. The Tour Down Under starts on January 17 in Unley and after six stages, the race ends in Adelaide. The same group will travel to Melbourne afterwards for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race on January 29.

Boom

After some cyclo-cross races in Spain and in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, Lars Boom will ride for the first time in the Team LottoNL-Jumbo colours in Surhuisterveen, the Netherlands, on January 4. He follows that with the Dutch cyclo-cross national championships in Sint-Michielsgestel. Boom also hopes to ride the World Cup race in Fiuggi, Italy, and the World Championships in Belvaux, Luxembourg.

Rotterdam, Bennett & training camp

Gijs Van Hoecke and Dylan Groenewegen will pair on the track in January for the Six Days of Rotterdam, January 5 to 10.

George Bennett is suffering from mononucleosis. He took a few weeks rest and began to ride easy again in consultation with the medical team. His comeback date is still unknown and he probably won’t be riding the New-Zealand nationals.

The rest of the LottoNL-Jumbo team will leave on January 16 for the second training camp in Alicante, Spain. There along the Costa Blanca, they will prepare for their first 2017 races.