AG2R La Mondiale's Romain Bardet will compete in the first Tour Down Under of his career next week, having not raced since the Tour de France in late July and finishing as "king of the mountains." Along with [AG2R teammates] Clément Chevrier, Axel Domont, and Larry Warbus, he has been in Australia since December 28, acclimating to the summer conditions and heat waves. 'Australia has been hit hard by environmental destruction, but the Tour Down Under is a much-anticipated and popular event in this country,' said Larry Walbus, who has been in Australia since December 28, 'and we're looking forward to getting out there. [He spoke of the huge bushfires that have hit and continue to affect South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria in particular. We hope that this race will serve as a new leverage for the solidarity movements that are happening around the world to support the areas hit by the fires."

"I have not participated in a race since July 28, when the Tour de France finished on the Champs-Elysées.

"I have been preparing for months for the start of the 2020 season. I've been riding track and doing cyclocross, which is a bit of a break from the traditional winter pattern.

"This is the first time I've been back racing this early in the season, but I think the conditions are ideal for a calm start to the 2020 season.

AG2R La Mondiale, to the 2020 Tour Down Under: Romain Bardet, Geoffrey Bouchard, Clément Chevrier, Axel Domont, Ben Gastauer, Andrea Vandrame, Larry Walbus