Richie Porte (Sky) is hoping to kick off his WorldTour season in style at his home race with a strong ride at Tour Down Under.

The Tasmanian makes a return to the Australian event following a two year absence in a co-leadership role within Team Sky and the chance to appraise his form heading into a big year on the road which could see Porte move into the top echelon of stage race contenders.

Porte’s key ambition lies further down the race calendar in the shape of the Giro d’Italia, his first out-and-out Grand Tour leadership opportunity with the team.

“I want to go to Tour Down Under and perform,” Porte told TeamSky.com. “As an Aussie it’s the race to win.”

“It used to be a sprinter’s race but now there are some good climbs in there like Corkscrew and Willunga. I’ve spent a bit of time in Adelaide so I know the climbs pretty well. I feel like I’m in good form and we have a strong team here – so if not me then through Geraint Thomas we also have a really good chance. He was brilliant last season so it should be an interesting race.”

Even though the Giro is the main objective of the season for him, Porte is not treating the Tour Down Under as merely the first in a string of warm-up races for the Italian Grand Tour.

“It’s silly not to go to Tour Down Under and really go for it,” he reasons. “I’ve never really tried to be good there before. Obviously this year my focus is the Giro d’Italia so that’s where I want to be at my best.”

What might hamper Porte’s ambitions for overall success is the fact that the Sky squad at the Tour Down Under is somewhat different from the squads that the British team normally field in stage races. Part of a strong seven-man line-up, Porte has been spending the days leading up to the race training with a squad mostly comprised of Classics riders.

“It’s the joke in the team that you see these guys at training camp over the winter and then that’s it. It’s good preparation for the Classics guys. They are more motivated than ever to be in good form and it’s a big goal for the team to win a Classic this year.”

The Tour Down Under kicks off on January 21.