Romain Bardet heads for the stage (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 25 of 38
Rohan Dennis makes his full Team Ineos debut (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 26 of 38
Bahrain McLaren on stage (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 27 of 38
AG2R La Mondiale (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 28 of 38
Trek-Segafredo are presented to the crowd (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 29 of 38
All eyes on Sam Bennett ahead of his Deceuninck-QuickStep debut (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 30 of 38
CCC Team (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 31 of 38
Movistar on stage (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 32 of 38
The Movistar riders with a koala (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 33 of 38
Elia Viviani makes his Cofidis debut (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 34 of 38
Daryl Impey returns as winner of the past two editions, while Mitchelton-Scott have also brought Simon Yates (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 35 of 38
Team Ineos (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 36 of 38
Richie Porte has won on Willunga Hill for the past six years (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 37 of 38
Groupama-FDJ on stage (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Image 38 of 38
Jurgen Roelandts (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Tour Down Under held its team presentation in Adelaide on Saturday evening, ahead of Sunday's Schwalbe Classic and the start of the race proper on Tuesday.
As always, riders were encouraged to meet animals endemic to Australia for pre-race publicity shots. The likes of André Greipel, Sam Bennett and Caleb Ewan held baby kangaroos and snakes and posed with koalas.
After that, the riders hit the stage in the 'Tour Village' in Adelaide for the teams presentation. Following the conclusion of stage 3 of the women's race, both men's and women's teams were presented to the crowd.
The women's race concludes on Sunday, when the men will race the Schwalbe Classic warm-up criterium ahead of the race proper, which runs six stages from next Tuesday to Sunday.
Daryl Impey, winner of the past two editions, leads a Mitchelton-Scott team that also includes Simon Yates, although the two summit finishes on this year's route could tip the balance back towards 2017 champion Richie Porte, who lines up alongside world road race champion Mads Pedersen for Trek-Segafredo.
There's a strong line-up of sprinters, with Sam Bennett making his debut for Deceuninck-QuickStep, where he has replaced Elia Viviani, who makes his bow for Cofidis. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) is sure to challenge those two, while other threats include André Greipel (Israel Cycling Academy) and Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates).
Click or swipe through the gallery above for a selection of photos from the team presentation and animal meet-and-greet.
Cyclingnews Newsletter
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
