Porte will be supported by a team that includes three other Australians; Baden Cooke, Luke Roberts and David Tanner, as well as Danes Kasper Klostergaard and Jonas Aaen Jorgensen.
"The course for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour is pretty exciting. The terrain this time is a little different to when I’ve previously ridden the Tour (2008 and 2009), where it was essentially dead flat with crosswinds," Porte said. "I think there’s a strong chance this race could be decided at Arthurs Seat."
Question marks remain over Porte's condition after a long season including a late call-up to a gruelling Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. That may mean other riders including rising star David Tanner, who was 10th overall in the race last year, could be given the chance to lead.
"I’ll be there giving it my best shot at what will be my last race of the season, but I think Dave [Tanner] is going to shock a few people. He’s one who could really go for general classification," Porte said.
"Luke is coming into some good end of season form as well. He could go for a stage win anywhere and he’s capable of going for a small bunch sprint. Another one to watch is Jonas. He recently out sprinted Stuey O’Grady [at GP d’Isbergues], so he’s going to be hard to beat."
