Three-time world cycling champion Peter Sagan has confirmed he will return to the Tour Down Under.
Sagan was the main international drawcard at this year's race and he didn't disappoint, winning the People's Choice Classic and then stage four.
Confirming Sagan is a significant boost for the Adelaide race, which opens the World Tour calendar.
It gives race director Mike Turtur a handy bargaining chip as he tries to entice other big names to the January 10-20 race.
Turtur can point to Sagan's exceptional season, which has featured three Tour de France stage wins and his sixth green jersey.
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Sagan also won the Paris-Roubaix monument for the first time.
"Peter Sagan is a gentleman of the sport and the most popular cyclist in the world," Turtur said.
"This year not only did we have the honour of having the rainbow jersey (as world champion) at the race but we saw him in the rainbow stripes win twice.
"He's had a good year so he knows that starting here in Australia is beneficial as clearly he likes to hit the ground running."
Sagan made his professional debut in the Tour in 2010.
Meanwhile, Australian cycling star Michael Matthews has had his second win of the year, taking out the last stage of the BinckBank Tour.
It's been a difficult season for Matthews, who suffered a shoulder injury when he crashed in early March.
Matthews also had to pull out of the Tour de France because of illness.
Also, Warren McDonald has taken over from long-time para-cycling technical director Peter Day at Cycling Australia.
McDonald was women's road coach in 2004-08.
His crowning achievement was the Athens Olympics, where Sara Carrigan, Oenone Wood and Olivia Gollan gave a masterclass in teamwork on the way to Carrigan winning the road race gold medal.
