Two-time winner Andre Greipel will begin his 2018 season at January's Tour Down Under for the first time in four years.
The 35-year-old German, a winner of 11 stages on the Tour de France, confirmed on Saturday he would return for the South Australian World Tour event which he won in 2008 and 2010.
The powerful sprinter, last competing in the tour in 2014, heads the Belgium-based Lotto-Soudal team.
Greipel's win in 2008, by seven seconds from Australian Allan Davis, kicked off one of his most-successful seasons and he hoped to have similar success in 2018.
Greipel said the six-stage Tour Down Under was "always good to start a hopefully successful season.
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"The first wins and points to earn for my team, and I, would be nice."
