Evans offered Tour Down Under wildcard

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's world road racing champion Cadel Evans will ride at next year's Tour Down Under against Lance Armstrong after his BMC Racing Team were offered a wildcard entry to the race.

Evans only recently signed for BMC Racing after winning the world title and Tour Down Under organizers were quick to offer the second-tier American team a wildcard into the January 17-24 ProTour event.

Armstrong made his comeback to professional racing at this year's Tour Down Under and South Australian state premier Mike Rann said the addition of Evans was a coup for the event.

"Never before has an Australian competed on Australian soil wearing the Rainbow Jersey," Rann said in a statement.

"This may be the only chance to ever see two legends, in Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans, compete against one another on Australian soil."

(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Peter Rutherford)