Luke Durbridge given helping role for Tour Down Under

AUSTRALIAN road and time trial champion Luke Durbridge has been charged with helping team-mates Matt Goss and Simon Gerrans in the TDU.

Luke-Durbridge

AUSTRALIAN road and time trial champion Luke Durbridge has been charged with helping sprinter Matt Goss and allrounder Simon Gerrans in next week's Santos Tour Down Under.

ORICA-GreenEDGE this morning named its seven-rider outfit for the opener of the World Tour, with Goss the team's man in the sprints and defending champion Simon Gerrans the tour leader.

Goss and Gerrans are former winners of the tour.

Durbridge, Daryl Impey, Jens Mouris, Simon Clarke and Stuart O'Grady will support Goss and Gerrans in the international event.

"We're bringing a strong team and we're hoping to pick up a stage win," said sport director Matt Wilson.

"Gerrans has free reign to have a crack at the overall."

The Australian team made its debut in the Tour Down Under last year and won it with Gerrans.

"Last year, winning the Tour Down Under felt essential," Wilson said.

"This year, we're taking a different approach.

"Wins at the Tour Down Under are now one of many goals for our second season."

Impey and Mouris will be charged with delivering speedster Goss in sprint finishes.

"On the days where it's a sprinter's race, Gossy will be there," Wilson said. "He's a past stage winner at the Tour and has finished high up on the overall classification in previous years. He's our man for the sprints."

"Daryl was Gossy's main lead out man at the Tour de France. The pair worked well together. We've selected him for that role again.

"Jens is a strong workhorse. He's useful on both the sprint stages and the terrain where Gerrans will need some support."

Durbidge's job will be to add support in both the sprint and hills.

"He's clearly on super form at the moment," Wilson said. "Like Jens, Durbridge can help both in the sprints and over hillier terrain."