Luka Mezgec (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Magnus Cort (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Christopher Juul Jensen (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Brenton Jones, Caleb Ewan and Alex Edmondson make up the final stage podium(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Shayne Bannan with new signing King Lok Cheung(Image credit: Orica-GreenEdge)
Orica-GreenEdge makes its debut at the Tour de Yorkshire this week with a strong sprint squad spearheaded by Caleb Ewan with Adam Yates also selected for the three-day race.
Ewan had a successful start to the season on home soil with two wins at the Tour Down Under and a stage at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and will be looking to get back to winning ways at the UCI 2.1 race before his Giro d'Italia debut in just over one week.
With an eight-rider team built for success in Yorkshire, sports director Matt Wilson is expecting his squad to deliver.
"It's a short three day race and it will be aggressive," said Wilson. "We have a really good squad together for Yorkshire and I'm excited to be working with these guys."
"The team is well rounded with a fantastic balance of youth and experience, not to mention speed. We will be well suited to the sprint finish on stage two providing we can keep Caleb (Ewan) at the front over the hills."
Ewan will have leadout men Luka Mezgec and Magnus Cort at his disposal, while Alexander Edmondson makes his stage race debut in Europe with Orica-GreenEdge and bolsters the sprint train with Paris-Roubaix winner Mat Hayman in a team captain role.
The team will also be looking after Yates across the rolling terrain of Yorkshire and Wilson believes the 23-year-old is up for for a good result.
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"Adam (Yates) is super motivated and coming into some good form right now. I think the undulating course suits him and the team will be supportive of him over the three days," added Wilson. "We have had a successful spring classics period and we want to carry that momentum into these next races."
Recent signing Cheung King Lok will also start the race having made his debut with the team at the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain earlier this month with Chris Juul-Jensen completing the line up.
The 2016 Tour de Yorkshire starts April 19 with stage 1 taking the peloton from Beverly to Settle over 184km. Stage 2 is a 135.5km affair from Otley to Doncaster while stage 3 is a 196km day in the saddle from Middlesbrough to Scarborough.
Orica-GreenEdge for the Tour De Yorkshire: Magnus Cort, Alexander Edmondson, Caleb Ewan, Mathew Hayman, Chris Juul-Jensen, Cheung King Lok, Luka Mezgec and Adam Yates.
