Monday 15 January 2024 at 18:00
Every year we have to wait a little, but the new road season is really about to begin. Many of the world’s best cyclists begin their road campaigns in the Tour Down Under (16-21 January), in what is invariably the first WorldTour race of the season. CyclingFlits obviously still looking ahead!
History
The last ten winners of the Tour Down Under
2023: Jay Vine
2022: Not held due to the coronavirus crisis
2021: Not held due to the coronavirus crisis
2020: Richie Porte
2019: Daryl Impey
2018: Daryl Impey
2017: Richie Porte
2016: Simon Gerrans
2015: Rohan Dennis
2014: Simon Gerrans
2013: Tom-Jelte Butcher
2012: Simon Gerrans
Latest edition
Tour Down Under 2023 final ranking
1. Jay Vine (United Arab Emirates) in 16u07m41s
2. Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) op 11s
3. Pello Bilbao (Victorious Bahrain) op 27s
4. Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) op 57s
5. Mauro Schmid (Soudal Quick-Step) op 58s
Path
This year the stage race will not start with a prologue, as was the case last year. Runners are instead offered a 144 kilometer race starting and finishing in Tanunda. On the other hand, there is the return of a very famous climb: that of Willunga Hill. The Santos Tour Down Under has been coming here since 2020.
The race to Willunga Hill will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the battle for final victory, but the decision will fall on the final day. The final stage of the Santos Tour Down Under concludes, just like last year, at Mount Lofty. This is a climb of just over six kilometers at 3.3%. The last 1.3 kilometers rise at an average of 7.3%. The riders will tackle the track three times on the final day.
Also important to mention: the Tour Down Under uses bonus seconds. In the intermediate sprints you can gain 3, 2 and 1 seconds each time, and at the finish of each stage there are 10, 6 and 4 seconds up for grabs. These second bonuses can play a crucial role in the final victory, as the differences in the Tour Down Under are often very small.
Sunday 16 January, Phase 1: Tanunda – Tanunda (144 km)
Last year the Tour Down Under organization came up with something new, kicking off with a 5.5km prologue through the streets of Adelaide, but it appears to be an isolated case (for now). Instead, runners are simply presented with another 144 kilometer stage, starting and finishing in Tanunda. At first glance it seems like something for fast men, although this is certainly not a foregone conclusion.
On the opening leg, the group travels through the Barossa Valley, one of Australia’s most famous and largest wine regions. In other words, runners run in the beautiful setting of the vineyards, but there really isn’t much time to enjoy it. The drivers complete a local circuit of approximately 48 kilometers three times, with Menglers Hill (3.8 km at 3.6%, maximum 13%) as the return executioner.
When the riders reach the top of Menglers Hill for the third time, there are exactly fourteen kilometers to the finish line. The remaining kilometers are certainly not easy and this certainly works in favor of the aggressive runners in the group. The last two editions of the Tour Down Under also ended in Tanunda (in 2020 and 2023), with victories for Sam Bennett and Phil Bauhaus.
Start: 11:10 / / 01:40
end: between 2.45pm and 3.05pm / / between 5.15am and 5.35am
Wednesday 17 January, stage 2: Norwood – Lobethal (141.6 km)
In the second phase things can really go either way. The organization has done its best to plan an interesting stage between Norwood and Lobethal, where the runners start and finish. And we can say that this has been achieved, with over 2,800 – 2,848 to be precise – meters of altitude difference. So it’s an uphill climb right from the start Ashtonwith a ten kilometer climb at well 5%.
It’s just a harbinger of things to come. After the introductory climb, riders will race over rough roads to a 35 kilometer local loop, which will be completed a total of three times. Cyclists with climber’s legs will especially appreciate the steep climb Fox Creed Rd. This is a real one kilometer wall at 10% and will repeat a total of three times on this lap.
After the first passes – more than 75 and 40 kilometers from the finish – there are still mountain points to be earned, but this is not the case for the third and final pass to the summit. Yet the third passage of Fox Creed Rd they play a crucial role in the battle for stage victory, with the summit just eight kilometers from the end. For a boxer with good legs, this could be an ideal stepping stone to success.
Start: 11:10 / / 01:40
end: between 2.40pm and 3.05pm / / between 5.10am and 5.35am
Sunday 18 January, Stage 3: Tea Tree Gully – Campbelltown (145.3km)
In the first two stages the riders are not spared, and it is questionable whether we will be able to sprint. However, things have to be weird if we don’t want to do a (mass) sprint on day three. The route to Campelltown is certainly not flat – runners overcome 2,211 meters of elevation gain over a distance of 145.3 kilometers – but the majority of the climbing occurs immediately after the start at Tea Tree Gully.
However, on the way to Campbelltown, differences can arise in another way: the fans! There may be some severe storms on the east coast of Australia, so runners have been warned. Campbelltown regularly hosts the Tour Down Under, but often after a final with the tough Corkscrew Road, which always gives the headwaters the advantage.
He can be seen in the list of most recent winners at Campbelltown, but now we look mainly at the fast men of the group. This year’s final has already been held once at the Tour Down Under, in 2017, when Caleb Ewan proved faster than Peter Sagan and Danny van Poppel.
Start: 11:11 // 1:41
end: between 2.40pm and 3.00pm / / between 5.10am and 5.30am
Friday 19 January, fourth stage: Murray Bridge – Port Elliot (136.2 km)
In the fourth stage, the riders will run largely along the southern Australian coast, on the way to Adelaide, finishing in Port Elliot. This is a small town on the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Port Elliot is mainly based on its beautiful location, coastline and breathtaking views, and is therefore very popular with holidaymakers from nearby Adelaide.
But enough about the arrival: what can we tell you about the route? We can be brief: the route is not too demanding, especially compared to the previous tours. Runners sprint only once for mountain points along the route and then reach the top Gemmell Hill (average 4%) even 45 kilometers from the finish line. The wind might have something to do with it, but otherwise nothing seems to stand in the way of a bunch sprint.
Start: 11:10 / / 01:40
end: between 2.40pm and 3.00pm / / between 5.10am and 5.30am
Saturday 20 January, 5th stage: Christies Beach – Willunga Hill (129.3km)
A Tour Down Under without Willunga Hill: it is and remains a crazy thought. The organization must have thought about this even after the 2023 edition. And so this now iconic track will return to the route – for the first time since 2020. Not as a final agreement, but as a finishing touch to the penultimate stage. And runners immediately get two for the price of one.
The fifth phase is truly the one with two faces. In the first hundred kilometers the group still runs on mostly flat roads, through coastal towns such as Port Willunga and Aldringa Beach. And then, with 25 kilometers still to go, the fun of climbing begins for the first time Willunga Hill (3 km at 7%, with an outlier of up to 15%). Once at the top, the odometer indicates: 22.4 kilometers to go.
The runners then make a detour east, north and then south to reach the town of Willunga again, for a second and final passage on the Willunga Hill. Now the finish line is actually the finish line. Could there already be an image of Richie Porte at the top of this climb? The now retired Australian is inextricably linked to Willunga Hill.
The former Saxo Bank, Team Sky and Trek-Segafredo rider managed to triumph at the top of Willunga Hill six times in the years 2014-2019. His impressive winning streak came to an end in 2020, but in 2021 he won for the seventh and final time at this track. It wasn’t the Tour Down Under (because it was cancelled), but the Santos Festival of Cycling, a stage race in which only riders from Oceania could participate.
Start: 11:10 / / 01:40
end: between 2.20pm and 2.40pm / / between 4.50am and 5.10am
Sunday 21 January, sixth stage: Unley – Mount Lofty (128.2km)
In the past, the race to Willunga Hill has been decisive in the battle for overall victory, but this is no longer the case. The decision will be made on Sunday, on the final stage from Unley to Mount Lofty. In a stage with 2,821 meters of altitude difference, all the ranking riders are hard at work, knowing that anything can still happen. The final stage actually consists of three local loops, straight through the Adelaide Hills.
It runs from Summertown to Uraidla, Carey Gully, Bridgewater, Aldgate, Stirling and Crafers. The executioner of the day, High Mountain, starts just after passing through Aldgate. In the route book the climb is reduced to 1.3 kilometers at 7.3%, but in reality it is a climb of just over six kilometers at 3.3%. The devil is certainly lurking here.
The road surface still has peaks in the last kilometre more than 13%. After the first passage on Mount Lofty, the climb continues twice more, each time at the end of a 25 kilometer loop. Last year Mount Lofty took to the track for the first time and victory went to Simon Yates, after an elite sprint with Jay Vine and Ben O’Connor. Vine also made the victory gesture at the finish line, securing overall victory.
Start: 11:10 / / 1:40
end: between 2.20pm and 2.40pm / / between 4.50am and 5.10am
Favorites
It’s not easy to get a good distribution of stars so early in the season. For most riders, the Tour Down Under is a first ‘warm-up’ towards the big goals of the spring. We have little to no references yet, which makes it a bit of a mystery to see who is already ready to attempt the final victory.
One thing we can say for sure is that most Australian cyclists will be motivated to the core to shine for their people. At the Australian Championships we already got a first indication of who is good and who still has work to do. Luca Papp he will undoubtedly begin his home round with full confidence.
Can Luke Plapp capitalize on his best form in the Tour Down Under? – photo: Cor Vos
In the run-up to the Tour Down Under, the 23-year-old all-rounder was crowned Australian time trial champion and just days later became national road champion for the third time in a row. And he did it impressively. Plapp not only hurt the competition, but also his teammates on the way to another Australian title. He will be keen to continue his good form and give his new team Jayco AlUla a prestigious victory.
It’s an old and perhaps banal saying, but one that still applies in this situation: strike while the iron is hot. But Plapp is certainly not the only advanced player within Jayco AlUla’s team. Home training also counts on this Simone Yates. The Tour Down Under is certainly not the main goal for the British climber, but that didn’t stop him finishing second in the final rankings last year. Chris Harpersecond in the Australian road championship, could surprise Jayco AlUla.
According to last year, now victory for Simon Yates? – photo: Cor Vos
For most riders, the Tour Down Under is nothing more than an initial competitive incentive, but for some riders it can also be a great opportunity to score early and triumph at WorldTour level. Movistar has understood this well and the Spanish team is bringing several contenders to the start. We expect a lot from it Rubén Guerreiro. The Portuguese puncheur finds a tailor-made route here, with many short and, above all, steep climbs. It will also be music to Gonzalo Serrano’s ears.
Another runner who enjoys explosive climbing: Jhonatan Narváez. The Ecuadorian, who begins his sixth season with INEOS Grenadiers, has shown several times in the past that he has a lot of explosiveness. This gave him overall victory at the Tour of Austria last year. Can Narváez do it at an even higher level? He has already shown that he is ready to shine with a great victory in the Down Under Classic. In the Tour Down Under he appears to be the main ranking asset of the INEOS Grenadiers.
Jhonatan Narváez was the best in the Down Under Classic – photo: Cor Vos
After analyzing a number of strong teams, we may now have arrived at the strongest lineup in terms of depth. We are talking about Israel-Premier Tech, which has a lot of irons in the fire. Simon Clarke and Derek Gee might be able to go far with their attacking, puncheur spirit Stephen Williams he could perhaps hit the strong power sprinter in the last two stages Corbin Strong we can go hunting for second bonuses like those of Daryl Impey and then we forget the former Jumbo-Visma George Bennett.
Soudal Quick-Step’s selection might seem less impressive, but the Belgian outfit arrive in Australia with a real crowd-puller. And for Giuliano Alafilippe only the second time he will race the Tour Down Under. The Frenchman ran the stage race exactly ten years ago – he also debuted with the then Omega Pharma-Quick-Step in 2014. What can we expect from the two-time world champion in 2024? Great form or not, knowing Alaphilippe he will want to liven up the match.
Julian Alaphilippe is perhaps the most important name at the start – photo: Cor Vos
Then to the most successful team of recent years and certainly of 2023: Visma | Rent a bicycle. At first glance the Dutch team doesn’t have the big favorites for the Tour Down Under, but we are still happy to move Milan Father forward. The 27-year-old Dutchman surprised friends, enemies and himself late last year by winning the Tour of Guangxi. It meant his breakthrough at WorldTour level, can you confirm that now? Father’s support includes Robert Gesink, Koen Bouwman and Johannes Staune-Mittet.
If you say Jumbo-Visma you will soon end up at UAE Emirates. The Middle East WorldTour outfit also managed to recruit seven interesting riders for the Tour Down Under. Diego Ulissi is the man with the most credentials, but we also expect a lot from him Finn Fisher-Black. New Zealand’s only 22-year-old has already shown some very good things last year and 2024 could easily be his breakthrough year. We are also intrigued by the professional debut of Isaac Del Toro, winner of the latest Tour of the Future, and António Morgado.
Can Milan confirm Vader (left) at WorldTour level? – photo: Cor Vos
We have now discussed the main contenders for the overall victory, but there are even more interesting names at the start. Bahrain Victorious hopes to ride a good ranking with Jack Haig and to a lesser extent Torsten Træen, while Georg Zimmermann is a dangerous client on behalf of Intermarché-Wanty. The Spanish acquisition Roger Adrià and Ben Zwiehoff are the advanced pieces of BORA-hansgrohe, DSM-firmenich PostNL counts on Chris Hamilton and Oscar Onley.
Also noteworthy are the names of Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost), Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Christian Scaroni and Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan), Bauke Mollema and Natnael Tesfatsion (Lidl-Trek), Franck Bonnamour (Decathlon AG2R La Monde), the unpredictable Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Michael Storer. The latter is under contract with the Swiss team Tudor, but will play for the Australian selection in this round, just like Q36.5 driver Damien Howson.
Sprinters
The Tour Down Under is also often a first confrontation between the top sprinters in the peloton, although this year the sprinter field isn’t as strong. Most of the top players – think Jasper Philipsen, Fabio Jakobsen, Dylan Groenewegen and Olav Kooij – opt for a different season structure and are therefore not there. Luckily for the organization Caleb Ewan we will make an appearance again this year. At least, that’s what it seems…
The speedy Australian hopes to revive his career serving Jayco AlUla and would like to triumph in front of his own people. Ewan will have competition in the sprints Phil Bauhaus (Victorious Bahrain) en Elia Viviani (INEOS Grenadiers), two riders who also know how to win on Australian soil. Viviani won the Tour Down Under in 2018 and 2019, last year the Bauhaus was still celebrating.
Many eyes are on Caleb Ewan – photo: Cor Vos
Another sprinter with a chance to win is Sam Welsford, who will make his WorldTour debut for BORA-hansgrohe in the Tour Down Under. Ewan, Viviani, Bauhaus and Welsford might be the fastest riders in this group on paper, but there are even more sprint hijackers on the coast. Let’s think about it Biniyam Girmay to Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty), Álvaro José Hodeg (United Arab Emirates) to Daniel McLay (Arkéa-B&B Hotels).
We also take into account an outlier from Iván García Cortina (Movistar), Mick Van Dijke (Visma | Lease a Bike), Owain Doull (EF Education-EasyPost), Stan Van Tricht (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Max Kanter (Astana Qazaqstan) , Fabian Lienhard (Groupama-FDJ), Emīls Liepiņš (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Piet Allegaert (Cofidis). Danny van Poppel and Campbell Stewart will normally sacrifice themselves for their leaders Welsford and Ewan, but of course they will also be able to do the sprint honors themselves.
Elia Viviani can still do it, as was evident in the recent Tour of Guangxi – photo: Cor Vos
Favorites according to WielerFlits
**** Luca Papp
*** Simon Yates, Jhonatan Narváez
** Ruben Guerreiro, Stephen Williams, Milan Vader
* Corbin Strong, Chris Harper, Finn Fisher-Black, Julian Alaphilippe
Website organisation
These are the Dutch from the Santos Tour Down Under
BORA-HANSGROHETEAM VISMA | BICYCLE RENTAL-TREKEF EDUCATION-EASYPOSTALPECIN-DECEUNINCK
photo: Cor Vos
These are the Belgians from the Santos Tour Down Under
COFIDISINEOS GRENADIERSSOUDAL-QUICK-STEPINTERMARCHÉ-WANTYTEAM ARKEA-B&B HOTELSALPECIN-DECEUNINCK
Weather and TV
The Tour Down Under often involves sweating and this year is no different, with temperatures rising well above thirty degrees Celsius. Although occasionally this is accompanied by clouds. The weather appears to remain dry in southern and eastern Australia.
Good news for cycling enthusiasts: this year too the Tour Down Under can be seen through the online channels of Eurosport In Discovery+. There is little chance that the stage race will also take place on Eurosport 1 or Eurosport 2, because the sports channel on TV will most likely prefer the Australian Open tennis tournament. Keep an eye on the TV guide for exact broadcast times.
2024-01-15 17:25:25
#Preview #Tour #Milan #surprise #Vader
