Australian Rohan Dennis is primed for back-to-back victories at the Tour Down Under but local fans shouldn't hold their breath.
The feat hasn't been done in the previous 17 editions of the tour and there's a host of stars in Adelaide hoping to spoil the party.
One thing is on Dennis' side this year: his main rival in 2015 is now his teammate, with fellow Aussie Richie Porte switching from Sky to BMC.
However, three-time winner Simon Gerrans still looms large and there's also new Australian road champion Jack Bobridge, 2011 winner Cameron Meyer and British star and seven-time tour competitor Geraint Thomas.
"No-one has gone back-to-back. Obviously I'd like to go back-to-back and that's the plan," Dennis said on Saturday.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"But I'm not worried about it too much. It's a different course this year."
Dennis will be BMC's designated team leader for the race, which starts on Tuesday with a 130km stage from Prospect to Lyndoch, in the Barossa Valley.
The tour also returns to the Corkscrew climb, where Tour de France winner Cadel Evans rode away from the field in 2014. It will feature the famous finish atop Willunga Hill on stage 5.
Porte will be BMC'S plan B and given the right circumstances, could upstage his captain just as Dennis did to Evans last year.
The race is missing some of the world's biggest sprinters in 2016 with no Marcel Kittel or Andre Greipel, opening the door for up-and-coming Orice GreenEdge pocket rocket Caleb Ewan to claim the sprinter's jersey.
Ewan said he was hopeful of good stage results but also mindful of his team's bigger ambition of securing a fourth tour tile for Gerrans.
As a result he might not get all the help he'd like to propel him to the line.
"It was going to be hard to bring a full lead-out team," he said.
"We've kind of had to split the team but most of the guys here can do a good lead-out."
Thomas has come to the tour possibly not in as good a condition as in other editions but is still looking to put on a show.
"I'm pretty chilled but hopefully I've still got some good legs to race hard and see what happens," he said.
"It's up for anyone to take their chances."
Thomas said it would also be different this year riding against Porte rather than with him.
"It will be strange, he's going to be shouting at us now rather than BMC," he said.
"He used to love that going up a climb."
