Two of Australia's biggest names in cycling have announced they are headed to Ballarat to contest the Federation University Road National Championships.
Caleb Ewan and Michael Matthews have both been confirmed as starters in recent days, adding significant weight to the already star-studded field.
For Ewan, it will be the first time he has competed in the Road Nationals since 2019.
One of the world's best sprinters, he is a three-time national champion in the criterium, having won in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
He has also won five stages of the Tour de France, five stages of the Giro d'Italia, and nine stages of the Tour Down Under among his 60 professional victories.
Ewan's best result in the Elite Men's Road Race National Championship was second, in 2015. He was the under-23 road race champion in 2014, making himself a familiar face on the roads of Ballarat and Buninyong.
For Matthews, his nomination in the road nationals comes after a third-place finish at the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong in September.
The Canberran sprinter, a winner of the 2017 Tour de France green jersey, will compete in the road race event in Buninyong. It will be his first Road Nationals appearance since 2014.
A professional cyclist for more than 12 years, Matthews first burst onto the scene by winning the 2010 UCI Road World Championships in Melbourne.
He has gone on to also win four stages of the Tour de France, multiple stages of the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, and four World Tour-level one-day classics.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was exciting to see superstar names continue to compete in Ballarat.
"This year's event is shaping up as one of the best in many years," Cr Hudson said.
"To have the news that the big names keep coming is making it even more exciting.
"It's going to be an amazing way to start the new year in Ballarat."
It is expected 15,000 spectators will attend the event, which is being held in Ballarat for the 17th consecutive year.
The 2023 Federation University Road National Championships will feature criteriums in Sturt Street on January 6, road races in Buninyong on 7-8 January and time trial in Mt Helen on 9-10 January.
