Brother and sister duo Alexander and Annette “Nettie” Edmondson will line up at this year’s Santos Tour Down Under and Santos Women’s Tour, following a string of individual successes in 2014.

Both have a track background, but the move to road racing – and family – is what keeps them going.

“It’s pretty special and quite strange,” says Nettie.

“The times it means the most is when you’re overseas and having a bad day.

“To be able to knock on the door of your brother’s room, even just to chat about something else to get your mind away from the cycling, it means so much.”

Alexander, who will race with the UniSA-Australia team, agrees.

“I think it really helps to know that I have someone so close to me who knows so much about (racing).

“She goes through the exact same things as I do so we can lean on each other - it’s really special.”

The sibling bond is clearly strong, but so is their drive to prove themselves on the cycling circuit.

Nettie signed with Wiggle Down Under in December 2014 after successes in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she won gold in the Scratch Race, followed by a silver medal in the Team Time Trial at the Road World Championships in Spain.

“I’ve been doing a lot of track work which actually suits a lot of the (Santos Women’s Tour) races because there are two short criteriums and the road stages are quite short as well. The short, sharp stuff is what I’m good at,” she says.

Nettie’s goal is to develop her skills as a road sprinter while looking to capitalise on the experience of the Wiggle Down Under team.

Younger brother Alexander is riding with team UniSA-Australia and is new to the Santos Tour Down Under.

He won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the Team Pursuit, and again at the UCI World Track Championships, along with gold for the Individual Pursuit.

For all his success, he’s still nervous when it comes to the Tour.

“My specialty is on the track, and all of a sudden now I’m getting thrown into something I’m not used to,” he says.

“I’m using those nerves to my advantage though, and just looking forward to getting out there and experiencing something completely different.”

Riding in the Santos Tour Down Under has always been a dream for Alexander.

“I used to live in Stirling where the stage finished opposite my street. I train on these roads every day. Of course it’s an advantage but at the end of the day you still have your legs doing the talking.

Whatever the outcome, the Edmondson siblings are in good hands with the home crowd.