Canyon-SRAM will feature Tiffany Cromwell and new Zwift Academy winner Jessica Pratt in the elite women's road race at the National Championships on Sunday as the Australian race campaign to launch the event. The event will be Pratt's first appearance with the newly licensed World Team since securing a one-year contract for the 2020 season.

"It's great to have Jess racing with us as a teammate. For the last few years it has been very lonely representing the team on my own. Having Jess there allows us to work on our tactics a bit more," Cromwell said in a team press release.

"We still only have two players, but it means we can share the job of dealing with other players' tactics. We have to be smart, but Jess has already proven herself to be a strong rider. So I'm looking forward to racing with her and having fun together and putting pressure on the other riders so that one of us can make it to the top of the podium."

Cromwell and Pratt attended the Canyon-SRAM training camp in Malaga, Spain last month before returning to Australia for the Santos Women's Tour Down Under on January 16-19, the Towards Zero Race Torquay on January 30, and the start of the 2020 racing season, including the Women's World Tour opener at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on February 1.

"I go into Nationals relaxed but motivated," Cromwell said. 'I got a good feeling from the team training camp in Malaga, and that feeling has continued since I've been back in Australia.' Initially I didn't set high priorities for the race to have strong form with my coach, but as we get closer I feel I'm further ahead than where I thought I would be."

He said.

The Australian Championships will be held in Buninyong, Victoria, where Cromwell and Pratt, who finished 14th last year, will face a strong field including Amanda Spratt, Gracie Elvin, Lucy Kennedy, Grace Brown, and Sarah Roy of Mitchelton Scott. Other notables include defending champion Sarah Gigante (Tibco-SVB), Brody Chapman and Shara Giraud (FDJ).

"I am very excited about my first race in Canyon-SRAM colors. The last few months have been busy, but after the Zwift Academy finals I've had time to put in some hard training over the Christmas period. Brisbane was very warm and I was able to do some heat training for the All-Japan Championships."

"Tiff has a wealth of knowledge and experience and I look forward to learning from her as well as my other 2020 teammates. This will be my fourth All-Japan Championships road race around Mount Bunyon. It is an unpredictable course, but a fun one for me. There are a lot of different elements mixed in, so I'm looking forward to seeing what my legs are like on the day."

After the Australian Championships, Cromwell and Pratt, along with teammates Tanya Ellas, Ella Harris (both Zwift Academy winners), Hannah Ludwig, and Alexis Ryan, will compete in the Tour Down Under, Towards Zero Race, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

"I raced Australia in 2017 in the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. I loved everything about it: the training roads, the races, the food, the coffee, the culture, the people, the scenery," Ryan said.

"I'm feeling pretty good in the early races. We started preparing early and the weather was good at home. I don't have high expectations for these races. My goal, and I think the same for the other girls on the team, is to have a good, competitive race before the spring classics in Europe.

"I think most of the stages and one-day races suit my strengths. The climbs are shorter and the finish will most likely be a group sprint; I haven't raced since August, so everything is unpredictable at this point. I am very eager to race."