12 months after he blasted up Willunga Hill to lay the foundations for victory in his first-ever stage race in UAE Team Emirates-XRG colours, Ecuador's Jhonatan Narváez is set to make his return to the Tour Down Under this January, his squad confirmed on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old former Giro d'Italia leader and 2024 Tour Down Under runner-up finished the 2025 season well with a third place overall at the Tour of Guangxi. Three months on, Narváez looks to have every intention of a top-level start in Australia's premier men's World Tour event.
Alongside Narvaéz, UAE Team Emirates line-up also includes 2023 'Down Under champion Jay Vine and Tour de France podium finisher Adam Yates, the British star making his debut in Australia.
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"Coming back to the Tour Down Under as defending champion is a special feeling," Narvaéz said in a team press release.
"Last year’s win was a big moment. To start my career at UAE with that result was amazing and set the tone for the year.
“2025 was an incredible season for our whole team – we showed how strong and united we are. Now we start again from zero, with the same ambition and hunger to keep building on that success.”
While Portugal's Ivo Oliveira returns to the Tour Down Under for UAE for the first time since 2019, Colombian sprinter and teammate Juan Sebastián Molano, like Adam Yates, will be racing there for the first time.
UAE's seven-strong squad will be completed by Danish duo Mikkel Bjerg and Vegard Stake Laengen, both of whom have previous experience guiding a UAE rider to a podium finish in Australia, in their case working for Diego Ulissi when the Italian veteran claimed second back in 2020.
Much of the initial spotlight, though, will fall on Narvaéz and Vine, the team's two defending champions from 2025 and 2023. Interest will be high to see if UAE's record-breakingly successful total of wins from the 2025 season can continue in Australia, a tally already started in 2026 by Vine's victory in the National Championships elite men's time trial last week in Perth.
“I’m really excited to be lining up with the boys for TDU. It’s honestly one of my favourite races on the calendar — racing on Aussie roads, having my family with me, and having the Aussie crowds cheering you up Corkscrew" – where Vine still holds the Strava record from stage 2 of 2023, with a time of 6:14 – "is pretty hard to beat."
“I’ve had a much smoother lead-in than last year, so I’m feeling good and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in with the boys and seeing what we can do together.”
Meanwhile, NSN Cycling have also announced their line-up for the debut WorldTour men's race of the newly rebranded squad, with the primary focus on stages with sprinter Ethan Vernon and Corbin Strong.
The 2026 Tour Down Under NSN squad will also see Australian veteran Grand Tour stage winner Simon Clarke taking part in what is his last ever stage race prior to retirement at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday February 1. It will be Clarke's 15th and final participation in the Tour Down Under.
"Firstly, I need to say a big thank you to the team for the chance to finish my career at my home races,” adds Clarke. “It’s not easy to make it happen, and not many people get the privilege to finish in their home country, so I’m very grateful.
"I’m really looking forward to the last Tour Down Under as much as I looked forward to my first one. It’s a super challenging course this year, but we’ve got a good team this year, and we hope for another good race in Adelaide.
Racing in the men's Tour Down Under starts on Tuesday 20 January with a 3.6 kilometre individual time trial prologue through the streets of Adelaide.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG line-up at the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under
- Mikkel Bjerg (DEN)
- Juan Sebástian Molano (COL)
- Jhonatan Narvaez (ECU)
- Ivo Oliveira (POR)
- Vegard Stake Laengen (DEN)
- Jay Vine (AUS)
- Adam Yates (GBR) Vegard Stake Laengen (DEN).
NSN line-up at the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under
- George Bennett (NZL)
- Simon Clarke (AUS)
- Brady Gilmore (AUS)
- Nick Schultz (AUS)
- Jake Stewart (GBR)
- Corbin Strong (NZL)
- Ethan Vernon (GBR)
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