Owain Doull will make his World Tour debut for Team Sky after being named as one of three Welsh riders for the Tour Down Under.

The Olympic pursuit champ will be joined by fellow Cardiff born riders Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe in the six-day race which starts on January 17.

Doull has joined Sky on a two-year deal after racing for the past two years with Team WIGGINS though he did compete for Sky in October’s Abu Dhabi Tour.

The 23-year-old is part of a seven-strong team for the race in Australia where Sky will be led by Thomas and Colombia’s Sergio Henao.

Thomas has been a regular at the Tour Down Under since 2011 and finished third in 2013 when he also won a stage.

The 30-year-old will use the race to test his form as he considers his race plans for this year which could involve a crack at the Giro d’Italia in May.

Thomas won the Paris-Nice – the biggest road victory of his career – and the Volta ao Algarve last year as he focussed on stage racing more than the one-day classics.

Rowe will be using the race to begin his preparations for the spring Classics