The Tour Down Under is an annual race that takes place in Australia in January, and is considered the "first" race of the year. Because there are no mountain stages and no time trials, the Tour Down Under is a race dominated by sprinters. This year is was won by Andre Greipel, a German who has won the event once previously in the past. Lance Armstrong raced for the second consecutive year, and it marked the anniversary of his comeback to the sport. The goal for the team was stage wins for their premiere sprinter, Gert Steegmans, who transferred from Quick Step. While Steegmans didn't win a stage, he came in second once and finished consistently otherwise, showing some promise as a profitable sprinter for the future of the team. Gert's claim to fame is his win on the Champs-Elysees on the final stage of the Tour de France 2008, a dream win for any professional cyclist, especially sprinters.
So the 2010 season is off and rolling, with the next major race being Paris-Nice starting March 9, followed by the classics like Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, La Fleche Wallone, Ghent-Wevelgem, the Amstel Gold Race, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. It should make for some interesting racing.
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