CYCLING: Ten Australians will line up on the start line for the 2015 Tour de France which commences on July 4 with an opening stage individual time trial in Utrecht, Netherlands.
The 102nd edition of the Tour will run from Saturday July 4 to Sunday July 26 and will feature 21 stages and cover a total distance of 3,360 kilometres.
Dual national road champion Simon Gerrans - one of six Australians to wear the famous Maillot Jaune yellow leader's jersey - will start his tenth Tour. In addition, the two time Olympian is the only Australian to win an individual stage at all three Grand Tours.
Reigning Australian time trial champion Richie Porte will have the green and gold on display in the opening time trial in his fifth Tour start. 2015 has been a successful one for the Tasmanian with nine wins including the overall at Paris-Nice, Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and Giro del Trentino.
For Adam Hansen, the 2015 Tour de France will be number six. It also marks the twelfth consecutive Grand Tour Hansen has started, as the Queenslander looks to complete all three Grand Tours for a fourth year in a row.
Michael Matthews is one of two riders who will make their Tour de France debut, taking Australia's tally to 52 riders having competed across the 102 editions of the Tour.
Canberra's Matthews - who was forced to withdraw on the eve of the 2014 Tour following a training crash - has ridden four Grand Tours in his young career, claiming a stage win each as well wearing the leader's jersey of the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana.
2011 Herald Sun Tour winner Nathan Haas is also making his debut, with the Canberra-native having completed the Grand Tours of Italy and Spain.
The experienced Michael Rogers, a three time world champion in the time trial and four time Olympian, will start the race for the eleventh time. The Canberran returns after winning stage 16 last year, attacking the break in the closing stages to solo to victory.
Former track specialists Rohan Dennis (London 2012 silver medallist), Zakkari Dempster and Luke Durbridge each return to the tour for the second time in their careers.
South Australia's Dennis first raced in 2013 as a first year professional, with Victoria's Dempster and West Australia's Durbridge both making their Tour debut in 2014.
Mark Renshaw (Etixx-QuickStep), another rider who got his start in a velodrome makes his seventh appearance at the Tour, with the Bathurst cyclist claiming five top five finishes last year including third on stage three.
Australians at 2015 Tour de France
- Zakkari Dempster (Bora Argon 18) - 2nd Tour de France
- Rohan Dennis (BMC) - 2nd Tour de France
- Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEDGE) - 2nd Tour de France
- Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) - 10th Tour de France (3 stage wins)
- Nathan Haas (Cannondale-Garmin) - Tour de France debut
- Adam Hansen (Lotto Soudal) - 6th Tour de France
- Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEDGE) - Tour de France debut
- Richie Porte (Team Sky) - 5th Tour de France
- Mark Renshaw (Etixx-QuickStep) - 7th Tour de France
- Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) - 11th Tour de France (1 stage win)
Cycling Australia
