Australian Hansen lines up for his 12th Grand Tour

Lotto-Soudal unveiled its Tour de France line-up with Australia's Adam Hansen selected for a remarkable 12th consecutive Grand Tour.

Adam Hansen will line up for yet another Tour de France (Sirotti) Source: Sirotti

Hansen, 34, has completed every single Grand Tour he has started since 2011. He picked up stage wins in the Giro d'Italia in 2013 and the Vuelta a Espana in 2014.

“This choice is based on trust: in what they did for the team in the past, their current condition and the way we want to approach the next Tour," team manager Marc Sergeant said.

Without a general classification rider for this year's race the team will focus on stage wins, with sprinter Andre Greipel its point man.

The German sprinter has six stage wins on the Tour and has won at least one in each of the last four editions. Hewill rely on New Zealand's Greg Henderson, Jens Debusschere and Marcel Sieberg guiding him home on the flat stages.

"André Greipel remains one of the foundations of the team. Since 2011 he won at least one Tour stage each year, he got a confidence boost the past weeks in several races and with a good team around him we aim for another stage win," Sergeant said.

"It’s true there are less sprint opportunities than previous years, but still this is our biggest chance of a stage win.”

The Belgian team will also look to Tony Gallopin, who won a Tour stage last year and wore the overall leader's yellow jersey for two days, for a repeat.

He, Hansen, Tim Wellens and Thomas De Gendt will be given a free hand to attack on rolling stages.

"The fact that we don’t have a GC rider this year gives more freedom to this type of riders," Sergeant said. "Tony Gallopin, Tim Wellens, Thomas De Gendt and also Adam Hansen and Lars Bak can join a breakaway in stages that suit them."

Lotto-Soudal for the Tour de France

Lars Bak (DEN), Thomas De Gendt (BEL), Jens Debusschere (BEL), Tony Gallopin (FRA), Andre Greipel (GER), Adam Hansen (AUS), Greg Henderson (NZL), Marcel Sieberg (GER), Tim Wellens (BEL)