Roe excited for Tour Down Under return

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Tim Roe lines up for his third Tour Down Under and first since 2011, when racing with BMC, excited for the week of racing ahead. The 25-year-old returns to the race with Drapac Pro Cycling who are making its second appearance at the race.

Roe signed for the Pro-Continental team after impressing in last year's Australian National Road Series (NRS) in which he finished second overall riding for BudgetForklifts. Having missed the 2013 due to injury, Roe showed glimpses of his talent which saw him ride for BMC in 2011 and 2012 and this year, the Adelaide local is looking to build on those results starting with a good performance at his home race.

"I am feeling good and I am really looking forward to this week," Roe told Cyclingnews at Drapac's team launch. "We have a good team here and I am looking forward to racing my home race.

"It is the best week of the year for me to be racing here on the roads that I train on every day by myself with just my iPod. This week I'll be doing it with 160 of the best riders in the world with massive crowds, it will be awesome."

The inclusion of the new finish in Paracombe on stage 3 suits the characteristics of Roe and is an opportunity for the GC men to test each other before the queen stage to Willinga Hill.

"I like the climbs in the tour this year,"Roe said of the parcours suiting him for 2015. "The climb up to Paracombe is ok for me and Willunga Hill is quite good. I like that climb. It's a really tough course this year and I am looking forward to it and hopefully I'll have good legs."

When asked who he sees as the main challengers for the overall victory, Roe responded "It's the usual big guys like Cadel and Richie who will be up there. Now that the Tour Down Under has changed a bit with the hilltop finish, sprinters don't really win the race anymore [it is more for the] strong punchy guys."

With Drapac chasing wildcard invitations to several big American stage races, Roe is hoping to lead the team's GC aspirations which is a major objective after the Tour Down Under concludes on Sunday.

"Tour of California is a big goal for me and my main focus. Obviously Tour Down Under as well but California has a good course. If it is like last year, it will have a lot of climbs and time trials which is good for me.

"Hopefully both," he said of which race would mean more to do well in. "I'll be trying to get a result here and in California."

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