South Australia’s scenic coastline is set to play a starring role in next year’s Santos Tour Down Under (TDU), before culminating in Norwood for an historic final-day twist as both the men’s and women’s pelotons climb their way to a thrilling finale in Stirling.
The nine-day festival of cycling from January 16-24 will feature coastal stage starts and finishes in Glenelg, Henley Beach, Christies Beach and Victor Harbor.
South Australia will again open the UCI WorldTour season and will make history as the first race to hold men’s and women’s stages on the same course on the same day and over the same distance next year.
The six-stage men’s race will be held from Tuesday, January 19 to Sunday, January 24, with stages beginning at the earlier time of 10.40am each day, and overlap with the three-stage women’s race from the Friday to Sunday from 12.10pm.
In total it will be the longest men’s (874km) and women’s (397.3km) races in TDU history.
Following the success of its TDU debut this year, Henley Beach returns to kick-start the party by hosting the beginning of THINK! Road Safety Stage 1 to Gumeracha.
The 170km opening stage will feature a number of firsts including crossing the Birkenhead Bridge into Port Adelaide and using the iconic cycling route along Military Road at West Lakes.
In a break with tradition, Race Director Stuart O’Grady OAM has turned the race on its head with the opening stage – which has typically been exclusively reserved for the sprinters – set to favour the all-rounders with three ascensions of Checker Hill approaching the finish.
It means the race for the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey will be on from the get-go before Stage 2 heads to the idyllic Barossa with three laps of a 50km loop starting and finishing in Angaston.
A mainstay of the TDU every year, the Barossa circuit will visit towns including Tanunda, Greenock and Nuriootpa with a 5km gradual uphill finish to suit the sprinters.
Fans can expect plenty of fireworks on efex Stage 3 which has been dubbed “Corkscrew Day” with the peloton to tackle 170km from Lobethal to Campbelltown.
The bunch is in for a big day of climbing with two laps around Mount Lofty through Ashton, Picadilly, Uraidla, Balhannah and Woodside before a double ascension of the Corkscrew. However, unlike this January, the peloton will turn right instead of left at the top, resulting in a faster run to the finish line.
Glenelg – which hosted the first ever stage of the women’s TDU when it was elevated to the WorldTour in 2023 – is returning to host the first ever full-scale men’s and women’s double header.
The two pelotons will be separated by just 90 minutes as they make their way to Victor Harbor for Ziptrak® Race Day 4 incorporating Men’s Stage 4 and Women’s Stage 1.
The 144.7km stage will pass through Chandlers Hill, Coromandel Valley, McLaren Flat and McLaren Vale, before Nettle Hill is expected to produce a flurry of attacks towards the finish on The Esplanade.
Race Day 5 (Men’s Stage 5 and Women’s Stage 2) on the Saturday puts a fresh twist on a familiar tale with an action-packed race to the top of Willunga Hill.
Starting from Christies Beach, the 116km stage heads east through Morphett Vale and will feature a new climb up Coxs Hill Road to Chandlers Hill and through Clarendon before the peloton tackles the McLaren Vale, Aldinga, Port Willunga and Willunga loop in the opposite direction to previous years, before two ascensions of the famous climb.
For the first time ever, the finale with Race Day 6 (Men’s Stage 6 and Women’s Stage 3) begins in fan-favourite Norwood on the Sunday morning and takes in the beauty of the Adelaide Hills on the way to Stirling.
Riders will climb Norton Summit and race for KOM and QOM points in Ashton and Checker Hill before going through Birdwood, Mount Torrens, Lobethal, Woodside and Hahndorf, and finishing with a lap of Stirling which is again expected to draw huge crowds.
It is expected that both men’s and women’s races will be broadcast live with details to be finalised in coming months.
The TDU festival will begin on Saturday, January 16 with the opening of the City of Adelaide Tour Village in Victoria Square.
Full festival programming including team presentations and participation events are still being confirmed and will be announced in coming months.
The popular DeTours, Tour Transfers and other hospitality packages will return and tickets are available at tourdownunder.com.au
Tourism Minister Emily Bourke says next year is going to be an historic edition of the Santos Tour Down Under.
“The team has produced an exciting race route to match the occasion,” she said.
“The eyes of world cycling will be on South Australia as we become the first race to hold men’s and women’s stages over the exact same distance on the same day.”
“It will bring thousands of visitors to our state, providing an economic boost to businesses along the routes, while showcasing the beauty of our coastline, the hills and Barossa to an international audience watching all around the world.”
Race Director Stuart O’Grady added that as a cycling fan, next year’s race will be as close to the holy grail as you can get.
“You can come to Adelaide and see the best men’s and women’s riders in the world in the one day and on the same stage.”
“By having two races out on the roads at the same time, we had to get creative with our course design. We’ve had to look for different roads and climbs, so it will be a different looking TDU and I’m excited by that.”
“Things like three ascensions of Checker Hill will spice up the race from day one, and a new approach to Willunga Hill on the penultimate day could really change the way that stage is raced.”
“It will be great to get back to Henley Beach to kick things off, I think they were the biggest crowds I’ve ever seen at a stage start this year, so I like the idea of starting the first stage there with a big party.”
“And Glenelg has become symbolic for big moments in our women’s race so it’s fitting that it hosts the start of the first ever men’s and women’s double header – which also promises to be a really hard first stage of the women’s race.”
