Orica-GreenEDGE look to Daryl Impey for Tour Down Under success

SOUTH African Daryl Impey has emerged as Orica-GreenEDGE’s main weapon in its bid to defend Simon Gerrans’ ochre jersey in next week’s Santos Tour Down Under.

TOUR DE FRANCE - STAGE 8 - Castres to AX-3-Domaines - GreenEDGE's Daryl Impey battles the last 1km - losing the yellow jersey to Christopher Froome

SOUTH African Daryl Impey has emerged as Orica-GreenEDGE’s main weapon in its bid to defend Simon Gerrans’ ochre jersey in next week’s Santos Tour Down Under.

With Gerrans sidelined for the Australian summer with a broken collarbone, his team will fly Impey to Adelaide from South Africa for the race starting on Sunday.

The seven-man squad also boasts five Australians including 2011 TDU champion Cameron Meyer, Simon Clarke, Luke Durbridge, Mathew Hayman and Michael Hepburn who showed his early-season strength with a terrific ride in Sunday’s national road championships.

Orica-GreenEDGE has however ignored any temptation to include young sprinter Caleb Ewan who was second in Sunday’s road race at Buninyong and won the Bay Cycling Classic earlier this month.

New Zealander Sam Bewley, who was fourth in his national titles on the weekend, completes the roster.

Clarke, who won the mountains jersey in the 2012 Vuelta a Espana, is also capable of climbing up Willunga Hill with the leaders providing he is on form and Meyer is a former winner which gives the team multiple options in next week’s race.

Unlike previous years when the team has taken aim at the overall title - and come up trumps in 2012 and 2014 with Gerrans - director Matt White said its objective this time was simply to “win a stage”.

But the roster still boasts enough quality to steal the race away from favourites Cadel Evans or Richie Porte.

“The aim this year is to try and win a stage and to animate the action,” White said.

“We might be going in without our defending champion but, like the national championships, it’s a time for our guys to step up and prove that we are a multi-dimensional team and that we can win at all stages of the year even without some of our key riders.”

Impey wore the Tour de France’s yellow jersey in 2013 but was suspended by his team just before the 2014 race after failing a drugs test.

In August he was reinstated after being cleared of all allegations and returned to racing by winning the Tour of Alberta in Canada in September.

“Daryl is coming from South Africa, so he is coming from summer as well, has been to the race multiple times before and is also looking for a strong start to the season,” White said.

Originally published as Orica-GreenEDGE look to Daryl Impey for Tour Down Under success