Javier Moreno has a reputation as one of the perennial contenders for the Tour Down Under. This year, however, he will skip the Australian race and will start his season at the Mallorca Challenge

Javier Moreno will start his fourth season as a Movistar rider at the 24th edition of the Challenge Mallorca which will be held from January 29 to February 1. That marks a new start for the Spaniard who has been one of the main protagonists in the Tour Down Under in  Australia in recent years, finishing second i 2013.

"This year I will start later and I'm excited to continue with the Movistar Team, a team with great riders and excellent track record," he stated via the social media.

Once he has finished the Mallorcan races, he will turn his attention to the Vuelta a Andalucía. "After the Mallorca Challenge, I will ride in my own region, a special race that has been one by Alejandro Valverde three years in a row," he wrote.