ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 17, 2010 (AFP) – Germany’s Andre Greipel on Sunday said he had fully recovered from the horror crash which prevented him from sealing back-to-back Tour Down Under wins last year.

Greipel was out for four months with shoulder reconstruction surgery after the accident, when as defending champion he ploughed into a parked police motorbike on stage three.

“It’s a part of sport. Okay, it was a bit bad luck that a motorbike was standing there,” he said.

“But, anyway, I had really good surgery. Everything is fine, I have no pain at all. I don’t think about the crash any more.”

Greipel is many people’s favourite for the sprint-heavy Tour Down Under along with last year’s winner, Australia’s Allan Davis, who was also involved in the dramatic crash.

Davis was floored by Greipel’s bike as it flew back into the peloton, but he remounted and, helped by his Quick Step team-mates, heroically battled back to finish the stage second and ultimately win the race.

He said his colleagues at new team Astana, who include 2006 Tour de France winner Oscar Pereiro, would provide equally strong support.

“Without (my team-mates) last year I wouldn’t have been able to win the bike race,” Davis said. “It was huge to get back in the bike race, let alone be up there for the overall win,” he said.

“But Oscar Pereiro, I don’t have to state what he can do. He’s in pretty good shape and I think he’s a key rider for me and the team. I’m definitely on par with the sort of team I had last year with Quick Step.”