Tadej Pogacar was at the heart of an unsuccessful 18-month project to lure the Tour de France champion to Adelaide's Tour Down Under as its headline act.
Race director Stuart O'Grady had the three-time Tour de France winner as his No.1 priority, with negotiations falling over only a few weeks before the event.
The Adelaide race wanted one of the sport's biggest names for the 25th anniversary of the men's Tour.