Richie Porte and Annette Edmondson will join Team Garmin-Australia, and Cycling Australia has announced the men's and women's lineups for the Santos Festival of Cycling.

The two events will replace the Tour Down Under after the World Tour race was cancelled this year. The replacement events will run from January 21-24, but there have been concerns recently about new hotspots of COVID-19 infection across Australia. So far, both the men's and women's teams have been selected to host the event, and the Australian women's national team will include Edmondson, Georgia Baker, and Sarah Gigante.

Porte, a two-time winner of the Tour Down Under, usually starts her season in Australia. The Santos Festival of Cycling is shorter than the Tour Down Under and will not feature any WorldTour riders, but the race will take on the iconic Willunga Hill. This will be Porte's first race with Team Ineos Pinarello.

"It's great to have Richie back in Australia after his historic Tour de France podium finish and it's really special to be racing as part of the Garmin-Australia National Team. Let's hope the fans turn out in force and give Richie the accolades he deserves," said Stuart O'Grady, race director for the first time, in a press release issued by the organization.

Four-time track world champion James Whelan (EF Education Nippo) will also be part of the team, along with Sam Welsford and Kelland O'Brien, who competed in the previous Tour Down Under in 2020 with the national team, and Luke Plapp and Alex Porter will also be on the roster. The last slot went to veteran Lee Howard, who has shifted his emphasis back to track events in recent years.

"When one door closes, another opens. For many national teams and young riders, this is a big deal," O'Grady told Cycling News in late December. [For many national teams and young riders, this is a huge opportunity," O'Grady told Cycling News in late December. It's a similar atmosphere to the Tour Down Under, with the same teams and infrastructure behind them. It's a great opportunity for the young riders, one week they'll be riding small courses in the Australian region, and the next week they'll be riding Willunga with Richie Porte."

Three-time track world champion Annette Edmondson is joined by 2019 Australian national champion Sarah Gigante, Georgia Baker, Neve Bradbury, former Pursuit world champion Ashley Ankudinov, and Maeve Plouffe, Trek Segafredo's Lauretta Hanson lead a strong women's team that included.

"We are really pleased to be racing on what will be a home road for the Australian Cycling Team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizers for keeping the race going this year and wish it a successful event for all who take part," said Simon Jones, Cycling Australia's performance director. [Also, Kimberly Conte, women's race director for the Santos Festival of Cycling and Women's Tour Down Under, said, "We want to showcase the quality of Australian racing for both the men's and women's teams, but especially the strength, skill, experience."