Team owner and manager Rochelle Gilmore is nervous about how the heat will effect her Northern Hemisphere charges.
“They will be feeling the heat, literally. They are flying in from sub zero degree temperatures. Amy, Lucy and Dani will most certainly struggle," she said.
Despite this, Gilmore says the entire team is in good condition for the early season, making them hard to beat.
Dani King is one reveling in the scenery while acclimatising to the coming race conditions.
“I've been staying in Adelaide for the past 10 days and now I can't wait to get stuck into some racing. I think a mixture of road racing and crits will be a nice way to get back into racing form and I'm looking forward to getting back with some of my Wiggle High 5 team mates,” she said.
Amy Roberts and Lucy Garner will arrive only a few days before the start but this hasn't dampened their enthusiasm.
“It’ll be my first time in Australia so something new to look forward to there. With it being the first race of 2016 I'm not too sure what to expect, but it will be great to be with the Wiggle High5 girls and see what we can do there,” Roberts said.
Garner debuts with the team in Adelaide and only has a few days to get to know her new colleagues before racing kicks off.
“I'm looking forward to getting to know the girls and helping to achieve the best result for the team. It will be a whole new experience,” she said.
“The level will be high and the racing will be tough but it's a good first race to get stuck into.”
The elevated status of the tour to a 2.2 ranking in the UCI Women's Elite calendar provides its own motivation for the locals.
“As an Australian it's exciting to see more UCI races come to the Oceania region,” Hosking said.
"With the new UCI ranking and the addition of other international teams I think we're in for some really fantastic racing.
“I'm really excited that I get to line up with a full strength Wiggle High5 squad. I think we can do some damage.”
The Canberran sprinted to fifth at the Australian Road National Championships, her first competitive road race appearance since July when her 2015 season ended after a hand injury. Defending national champion Peta Mullens finished ninth.
“Aside from Road Nationals I haven’t raced on the road for 18 months, which was the Giro D’Italia in 2014 so I’m not sure what to expect from myself," she said.
Taking a break from her track preparations, double World Champion Nettie Edmondson joins Hosking and Mullens to race in her home city.
“The Santos Women’s Tour will be Wiggle High5’s first race as World No.1 so we’ll be thriving as a team to live up to expectations and make the tour an extremely exciting one," said Gilmore.
Wiggle High5 for the Santos Women's Tour
Annette Edmondson (Australia)
Lucy Garner (Great Britain)
Chloe Hosking (Australia)
Dani King (Great Britain)
Peta Mullens (Australia)
Amy Roberts (Great Britain)
Santos Women’s Tour (2.2) 16th-19th January 2016
Stage 1: Mount Torrens, 95km
Stage 2: East End, Adelaide, Circuit, 20.4km
Stage 3: Barossa Valley, Lyndoch, 100.8km
Stage 4: Victoria Park, Adelaide. Criterium
