The 2022 Women's WorldTour has not quite ended but planning has already begun for its successor next year. The 2023 Women's Tour Down Under will consist of three stages in Southern Australia, its organisers announced on Tuesday, culminating with a day that includes the iconic Corkscrew climb.
Although it is not the inaugural Women's Tour Down Under, it will be a race full of firsts: the first time it will be a WorldTour event after it was granted that status for 2023, the first-ever Women's WorldTour stage race held in the southern hemisphere, the first Women's Tour Down Under held since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the first Women's WorldTour event of 2023.
"It will be a big moment to have the first ever UCI Women's WorldTour stage race here in South Australia and to see the very best female cyclists competing across our state once again," Assistant Race Director and three-time world champion Annette Edmondson said in a press release.
"We have worked to create a race that will excite and challenge the peloton but also deliver an entertaining experience for spectators, and I can't wait to see how the riders tackle each stage."
The Women's Tour Down Under will begin on the 15th of January in Glenelg and travel 110.4km south through the vineyards of the McLaren Vale wine region towards Aldinga. Two intermediate sprints will be situated on the course before a fast, flat finish for the sprinters along the coast at Snapper Point.
Stage 2 is more suited to the climbers, beginning in Birdwood before traversing 1,630m of climbing through the Adelaide Hills with a 7km long categorised climb at Mount Lofty and finishing in Uraidla. The final 93.2km day will start in Adelaide, take on the Corkscrew climb, and descend to Campbelltown where the overall winner will be crowned.
Before the race, the teams will compete in the Schwalbe Classic through the streets of Central Adelaide. Both events will form part of a wider festival of cycling in Adelaide and South Australia from 13-22 January, featuring nine days of elite racing for men and women.
"As our state continues to set the pace as host of major events, we are really excited to welcome the world's most elite female cyclists and cycling fans back to South Australia in January next year," said Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison.
"The Santos Tour Down Under event is a milestone for our State that certainly calls for a celebration as it will showcase South Australia at its best shining bright in summer and share the best our state has to offer, from spectacular coastlines to renowned wine regions and the tranquillity of the Adelaide Hills."
