Chris Froome has announced he will open his 2019 campaign at the Tour Colombia in February.
Sprinters Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan have also had their early season plans revealed, as the pair will go head-to-head at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina in January.
Fernando Gaviria is also slated to attend after moving from Quick-Step Floors to UAE Team Emirates.
At San Juan, Quick-Step are expected to try out their prodigious young talent Remco Evenepoel, who joins after winning the junior world championship road race in September.
Team Sky rider Froome started this season with the Ruta Del Sol in February but will follow in the footsteps of team-mate Egan Bernal who rode in Colombia this year.
Peter Sagan and Fernando Gaviria are both due to ride the Vuelta a San Juan in 2019 Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
Bernal, the 21-year-old sensation, won the overall of Colombia Oro y Paz, which was just his second ever stage race with a WorldTour team.
Froome has been out in Colombia this off-season, spending time with EF Education First-Drapac’s GC contender Rigoberto Uran and Bernal.
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Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) have been confirmed for the 2019 Vuelta a San Juan in January.
Sagan will open his season in the usual way at the Tour Down Under in Australia before heading to Argentina.
Brit Mark Cavendish is also due to make his racing return in January, having spent recent months off the bike due to illness.
The 33-year-old has struggled to find form in recent years, battling injuries and illness before taking an indefinite break due to his Epstein-Barr virus diagnosis.
But the Manxman is back to training and is looking to his return.
Sagan and Cavendish’s start at San Juan has been confirmed by Argentinian sports secretary Jorge Chica.
Chica told Diario de Cuyo: “We are happy to confirm it, the talks were made a few months ago and today we can finally confirm that Sagan will be here, giving even more prestige to our tour.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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