Matt Wilson was been selected as the final rider for the UniSa-Australia team to contest this year's Tour Down Under, the race organisation announced Sunday.
Wilson, a former winner of the Herald Sun Tour, placed fifth in the elite men's road race at the Scody Australian Open Road Championships in Buninyong to earn the call up for the ProTour event.
"I'm very happy because I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I wasn't selected in the first place, but I spoke to selectors and they assured me that if I put in a good ride at the nationals I'd be in with a chance," said Wilson who rides with the US-based Team Type 1.
"My pro team will be pretty pleased too because we're starting Tour of California soon after Tour Down Under and that's a big race for us so it means I'll be going in with some great race form from Adelaide," he said.
Wilson joins 2003 Tour de France sprint champion Baden Cooke, Aaron Kemps and Scott Davis along with local hero Jack Bobridge who this week claimed gold medals in both the time trial and road race in the U23 men's division at the Championships. Another U23 star, Travis Meyer, who was the silver medalist in the U23 time trial this week will also line up as will Simon Clarke who finished eighth in today's elite men's road race.
The winner of today's road race, Peter McDonald (Drapac-Porsche) was offered the start in the Tour Down Under but his team advised Cycling Australia selectors they were unable to release him as they did not have a replacement rider available to cover their existing commitments to the Tour of Wellington, which McDonald is slated to contest, and the Tour of Qatar for which their other riders are entered.
UniSA-Australia team: Baden Cooke, Aaron Kemps, Scott Davis, Travis Meyer, Jack Bobridge, Simon Clarke, Matthew Wilson.
