Belgian team Lotto Soudal will look to build on the momentum of a strong Grand Tour performance in 2016 with a dynamic young team at the 2017 Santos Tour Down Under.

Kicking off his 2017 UCI WorldTour season in Adelaide, Lotto Soudal rider Thomas De Gendt will lead the team throughout the picturesque and challenging six-Stage event.

Santos Tour Down Under Race Director Mike Turtur said the final rider line up for Lotto Soudal was well-balanced with some strong contenders.

“Lotto Soudal are always a fan favourite at the Santos Tour Down Under. Australian rider Adam Hansen always enjoys home country advantage and can often be found in the breakaway of at least one Stage of the event,” he said.

“Hansen is the first rider to compete in 16 consecutive Grand Tour events, which is an incredible feat and shows an unprecedented level of commitment and athleticism.

“De Gendt is a fantastic rider and this year he led Lotto Soudal to one of two Stage wins at the Tour de France.”

Joining Hansen and De Gendt will be seasoned campaigners Lars Bak, Rafael Valls and Sean De Bie.

Lotto Soudal sport director Marc Sergeant said the team were building their training legs through a structured training camp and one-on-one sessions with their personal sport directors and mental coach Nathan Kahan.

Sergeant said the Santos Tour Down Under would be an exciting start to the season for the team.

“(In 2016) Rafael finished eighth overall at the Tour Down Under. Later down the season Rafa had a lot of bad luck, this edition he’s aiming for a top ten place again,” he said.

“Sean De Bie, Thomas De Gendt and Adam Hansen will pick their stages, (while) for James Shaw Australia will be his debut as a pro rider.”

The team Lotto Soudal rider roster competing at the 2017 Santos Tour Down Under will be led by sport director Mario Aerts (Belgium) and includes riders Thomas De Gendt (Belgium), Lars Bak (Denmark), James Shaw (Great Britain), Sander Armee (Belgium), Rafael Valls (Spain), Sean De Bie (Belgium) and Adam Hansen (Australia).

Team Lotto Soudal riders join already confirmed riders UCI World Road Champion Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe), Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and ORICA-BikeExchange (to be known as ORICA-SCOTT) riders Esteban Chaves, Simon Gerrans and Caleb Ewan.