Tour de France winner Cadel Evans is a confirmed starter in cycling's Tour Down Under in Adelaide in January.
It will be his first appearance at the tour since 2010 and his first since he became the only Australian to win the French Grand Tour in 2011.
Evans will not ride the Tour de France in 2014, concentrating his efforts instead on the Giro d'Italia.
So the South Australian race is a better fit for his preparation.
"With my focus on the Giro d'Italia, everything comes earlier in the year," Evans said in a statement.
"There is also the team's desire to get the season off to a good start.
"I think with a bit harder course this year, it would be realistic to go for the overall.
"So it will be something special, especially racing in front of a home crowd."
Evans has ridden the Tour Down Under eight times, winning the king of the mountains titles in 2002 and 2006 as well as the best young rider jersey in 1999.
Race director Mike Turtur said it was a major coup securing Evans for 2014.
"This will be the first time that Australian cycling fans have seen Cadel race on home soil since his historic 2011 Tour de France win," he said.
