The opening stage of the 13th Tour Down Under begins in Adelaide's northern suburbia, in Mawson Lakes before a journey into the region's migrant past.
The peloton will be in for a nasty surprise early on with the first King of the Mountain prize appearing at the 11.6 km mark at Black Top Road before a deceptively hilly ride north-east into the heart of South Australia's famous wine region, the Barossa Valley.
Rabobank's Graeme Brown says:
It's quite tough terrain out there. The maps don't really give you any indication that it's up and down all day. If you looked at this on your first trip to Adelaide you'd think it's relatively straight forward and simple but it's pretty up and down and then you go through the finish line twice before the finish.
The breakaways will be gone before the tough Black Top Road climb, although it shouldn't be too much of a problem - it's only a 2.9 km's long.
When you ride the final three kilometres, you realise it's the complete opposite to what the profile says. It's about a 1500m of proper uphill. That makes for a pretty solid finish actually and it should be quite interesting to see.
Image ©: Santos Tour Down Under
-
'My number one goal is the Classics but also the sprints' - Paul Magnier
Tour de France ‘doesn't seem like a priority right now' for 21-year-old French rider -
Marc Madiot praises Tadej Pogačar's 'sense of history' of cycling, but picks Wout van Aert as his favourite
Groupama-FDJ manager finds that the world champion has a deep understanding of the sport -
'A truly dramatic year' - Lotte Kopecky reflects after a sub-par 2025 season where the Tour of Flanders was the only highlight
The Belgian superstar once again asserts that another Tour de France GC bid is highly unlikely -
Mattias Skjelmose's Amstel Gold triumph over Pogačar and Evenepoel gave 'hope to other riders in the peloton'
After a difficult year, Dane returns to the biggest victory his career
