Adam Hansen (Lot Soudal) will be on the start line of the 2019 Tour of Guangxi for the third time in the fledgling World Tour closer. But surprisingly, it will also be his first race since June.

The Tour de Suisse was the last time the Ironman Australian turned the pedals in anger, a world away from when he completed Grand Tour after Grand Tour from 2011 to 2018, finishing 20 times in a row.

Thursday's opening stage (a circuit race in the Chinese coastal city of Beihai) marks Hansen's return to racing after a four-month break, likely largely due to UCI rules limiting the number of days he can race on the WorldTour and Continental circuits.

"I was supposed to race in Hamburg in August, but I sprained my ankle before that, so I missed a month," Hansen said before the start of the first stage.

"I was going to take a big break because I had already raced 58 days since the start of the season.

From the Tour Down Under to Switzerland, the 39-year-old raced close to two months before taking a break.

Highlights during this time included teammate Caleb Yuan's sprint wins and stage victories at the Tour of the UAE and the Giro d'Italia.

"Yes, I've been with the team for nine years. Next year will be 10 years. It's a good thing. You have to have some kind of retirement plan. Like long-term service," he joked.

"I guess time flies when you're having fun," he added in the team's press release about the extension, saying he hopes to compete in the Giro d'Italia and possibly the Tour de France next season.

Joining Lotto-Soudal in 2020 will be classics stars Philippe Gilbert and John Degenkolb from Deceuninck-Quick Step and Trek-Segafredo, respectively. For a team that has lost Tiesj Benoot, who has not had success in the Tour de Flanders or Paris-Roubaix since 2003, these two will give a boost to their spring hopes.

"Definitely, we are excited," Hansen said. 'These are definitely two super athletes. They will help us in the spring, especially for the Flanders Classic. Gilbert and Degenkolb will fill those holes and make the team a little bit better."

But back to the present, the team is racing to support Norwegian rising star Carl Frederik Hagen. Carl Frederik Hagen is new to the WorldTour this year and finished eighth overall in his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España.

"I will be riding for Karl in the GC. He is riding really well," Hansen said. 'Also Victor Campenaerts is running well. No one will be in the sprints, so we'll rest there."

"I haven't raced in four months, so I'll take it easy for the first few stages and see what happens. I want to go on the attack, but I just want to see what happens."