Daniel Oss and Peter Sagan: arguably the strongest Classics duo in the peloton(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
The three shades of the Bora-Hansgrohe jersey with Austrian national champion Lukas Pöstlberger, Slovakian national champion Peter Sagan and Gregor Mühlberger(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
A Movistar rider opted for the lower-level Tempo Powerstrap R5 Fizik shoes(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Daryl Impey has some special South African champion's Scott shoes (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Trek-Segafredo discuss their training ride(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
The CCC Team jersey stands out (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
New shoes for the Trek-Segafredo riders(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Michael Valgren (Dimension Data)(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
The UAE Team Emirates mechanic checks the level of a rider's saddle (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Team Sky have new Pinarello F10 bikes with a new highlighted graphic(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Rohan Dennis gives an interview before rolling out (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Michael Valgren (Dimension Data) shows off the new Assos jersey(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Daniel Oss and Peter Sagan enjoy their ride in the sun (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
The Movistar riders get ready to roll out of the team tent(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Rohan Dennis and Yukiya Arashiro show off the new Bahrain-Merida jersey(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Oscar Gatto (Bora-Hansgrohe)(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Gregor Mühlberger was wearing some new Specialized shoes(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
The Bora-Hansgrohe riders head into the Adelaide hills(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
Richie Porte in his new Trek-Segafredo training colours(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Bettini Photo)
While the Women's Tour Down Under began with Italy’s Letizia Paternoster giving Trek-Segafredo their first ever win, the men were counting down the days to their season debut, with many heading out for a final long training ride on the roads around Adelaide before Sunday’s Down Under Classic criterium and then the start of the Tour Down Under on Tuesday January 15.
Since arriving in South Australia, riders have been studying the new stage finishes in this year’s race and revisiting key climbs such as Corkscrew Hill and Willunga Hill, which this year hosts the final stage of the race and so is expected to decide the overall winner.
Last year Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) won the overall title thanks to time bonuses picked up during the race, taking the ochre-coloured jersey from defending champion Richie Porte, who placed second on the same overall time. Tom-Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data), another former winner of the race, completed the final overall podium in third.
The teams stay in the Adelaide Hilton hotel and start their rides from Victoria Square, which hosts the huge tent where mechanics and team staff prepare their bikes and equipment. Riders often spend time with mechanics, making final tweaks to their new race bikes and equipment.
The Tour Down Under is the first chance to see many of the new kit designs for the 2019 season and the new bikes riders will use. Disc brakes are becoming more widely used and Cyclingnews has already spotted the Katusha-Alpecin and Trek-Segafredo riders using SRAM’s still-to-be-unveiled 12-speed groupset, the Campagnolo 12-speed groupset, and what appear to be new lightweight shoes from Specialized.
Peter Sagan led the Bora-Hansgrohe ride into the hills around Adelaide, riding with teammates Daniel Oss, Maciej Bodnar, Austrian national champion Lukas Pöstlberger, Gregor Mühlberger and new signing Oscar Gatto.
Richie Porte joined his new Trek-Segafredo teammates for a training ride, wearing the team’s fluorescent training kit rather than the red, white and black race kit.
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Michael Valgren will make his debut with Dimension Data at the Tour Down Under after his move from Astana, while Rohan Dennis will join forces with his new Bahrain-Merida teammates as they kick of the 2019 season.
The Katusha-Alpecin riders went Koala spotting during their long ride in the quiet roads around the city, with Alex Dowsett claiming they had spotted nine different Koalas during their ride.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for a look at who has been out training and what riders look like in 2019 kit.
To read the 2019 Tour Down Under race preview, click here. And for the regularly updated start list for the race, click here.
