Matt Holmes will make his World Tour debut for Lotto Soudal in next week's Tour Down Under. According to team director Hermann Frisson, the British rider will get an early opportunity to show what he's made of on Thursday's third stage, the hilltop finish at Paracombe.

"Matt is a newcomer, but a bit of a climber, so I told him not to try too hard before the first climbing stage," Frison told Cycling News this week. We're going to get him to the bottom of the climb in a good position and then see what he can do." [It doesn't matter if he finishes in the top 10 or top 20. There is no pressure. If you are 26 and coming from a smaller team, we are willing to give you a chance.

"Being here is a chance for him to learn," Frison said, "and if he finds himself in a good position at GC, we'll work for him the last few days. But if he doesn't work out, that's not a problem.

When Cycling News asked Holmes what he expected from himself, the 26-year-old from Wigan remained humble, despite the team's offer to see what he could do if the road heads upward on Thursday.

"I've never raced early in the season before so I don't know what my form will be like," he said. It's great that they're giving me the opportunity to compete in my first World Tour race. Especially with Caleb on the team."

Holmes' World Tour debut will officially take place in the first stage of the Tour Down Under on Tuesday, but the race will open on Sunday with the Schwalbe Classic, a circuit race in central Adelaide.

"I have quite a bit of criterium experience from racing in the UK," smiles Holmes, who joined Lotto this year after six seasons with the British Continental team, Madison Genesis. I'm looking forward to helping Caleb. I've never raced with a proper sprinter before, so I'm happy to do the job I have to do and I'm going to keep it simple."

Holmes has spent the last few weeks with the team at training camp and in Adelaide, waiting for the race to start.

"It was a good start to feel part of the team. Some of the guys have competed in the Tour de France, and I'll be spending this month with the best guys on the team," Holmes explained.

"It's a really good way to integrate into the team and it's a good start. The language of the team is English, so everyone speaks English. I just ride the bike, it's not much different from the other teams, but I have more support and I can move a little faster on this team."