Wide open roads, bloody noses and recording studios
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Prime movers? GreenEdge head out onto the highway (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Stuart O'Grady Street, within the grounds of the Australian Institute of Sport (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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RadioShack recruit Fumiyuki Beppu at Australian Parliament House (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Travis Meyer, Brett Lancaster, Shayne Bannan and Jens Mouris enjoy a lighter moment during the training session with the Melbourne Storm (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Pieter Weening takes the recording process seriously (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge general manager Shayne Bannan talks tactics with Melbourne Storm rugby league coach, Craig Bellamy (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Svein Tuft seemed to be enjoying his time in Australia (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge linchpin, Matt Goss (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Stuart O'Grady (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Taking a break during one of the long training rides between Canberra and Thredbo (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Stuart O'Grady at the back of the bunch on a long training ride (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Daniel Teklehaymanot looking fly in his GreenEdge suit (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge team members in the recording studio for their official song (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge elder statesman, Stuart O'Grady (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Spa party? Stuart O'Grady reacquaints himself with one of the Australian Institure of Sport recovery pools (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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The men's and women's GreenEdge squads infront of Australian Parliament House (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge Sports Director Neil Stephens behind the wheel (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Brothers Cameron and Travis Meyer (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Svein Tuft lines up Michael Hepburn (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Fumiyuki Beppu was all smiles (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Baden Cooke and Matt Wilson during the recording process for the official GreenEdge team song (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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One of the GreenEdge young guns, Cameron Meyer (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Leigh Howard at the front of the bunch during a training ride (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Leigh Howard cops a blood nose (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge get a rugby league run down before a shared training session in Melbourne (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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They're going to make us do what? GreenEdge get a rugby league run down before a shared training session (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge's Sky recruit, Simon Gerrans during a training ride (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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GreenEdge financier, Gerry Ryan (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Wes Sulzberger will be looking to reinvigorate his career with GreenEdge (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Matt Wilson looked right at home ball in hand (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
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Jens Keukeleire and Matt Wilson hard at work on one of the long training rides (Image credit: Dan Jones - GreenEdge Cycling)
Members of the newest team on the UCI WorldTour gathered in Australia for a team camp in December ahead of GreenEdge's season debut in 2012.
Part training camp, part bonding session GreenEdge began the fortnight by basing themselves at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra for medical testing before taking on several long rides into the high country. It was there that team management received confirmation that they had indeed been successful in gaining a ProTour licence for 2012 and 2013, following an 18-month-long plan borne of a meeting between financier Gerry Ryan and Shayne Bannan on July 25, 2010.
The second week was perhaps a little easier, including having the riders take part in a training session with Melbourne Storm rugby league team, go-karting, golf, an even recording the team's official theme song at the home of Australian music identity, Molly Meldrum.
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