EUROPEAN cycling stars Franco Marvulli, Tristan Marguet and Marcel Barth have agreed to ride at next month's Rosebery carnival.
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The carnival, on December 22, will also be the comeback ride for former Australian scratchman Mark Jamieson.
Marvulli, Marguet and Barth are due to arrive in Tasmania four days earlier and offered their services to ride at Rosebery even though the carnival wasn't in their original contracts.
``Franco asked if there were other races they could do and I suggested Rosebery and they've agreed,'' cycling co-ordinator Rick Martin said.
It is a tremendous boost to Rosebery which has struggled in recent years because of inclement weather and dwindling competitor numbers.
Cycling couldn't be held in 2009 and 2010 because of the weather and last year only 25 cyclists competed in the Rosebery Wheel with Burnie's Aaron Jones the tightest handicapped rider on 50 metres.
The appearance of the Europeans will mean at least three cyclists will ride from scratch this year.
Jamieson is returning home from Victoria to ride in the carnivals for the first time in three years and because of his absence from the bike he is likely to be given a lift from the scratch mark he previously occupied.
Marvulli, Marguet and Barth will come from Europe on December 2 and it is their intention to ride in specific races in Bundaberg and country Victoria before the Australian madison championships in Melbourne on December 15.
World madison champion Kenny De Ketele, of Belgium, and Austrian Andreas Mueller are also riding in the Christmas series but don't arrive until after the Rosebery carnival.
Olympian Ethan Mitchell, of Auckland, has been forced to pull out of the Christmas carnivals after his selection in New Zealand's team for the World Cup in Mexico in early January.
Mitchell was looking forward to coming to Tasmania for the first time but has now been replaced by Shaun Rodgers who is coming off a season spent in the US.
Former Launceston Wheel winner Simon Van Velthooven, Shane Archbold and James Canny will also wear New Zealand colours at the carnivals.
Archbold represented New Zealand in the omnium in London and is on his first visit to Tasmania along with Canny.