Matt White says: "This is traditionally the queen stage of the Tour Down Under, even more so since they changed it to an uphill finish. It's a dangerous stage for all the climbers as a split in the final kilometre can be the difference in winning the race or not. It's the biggest day for crowds and it's a very, very important day at the office for everybody.
The way the stage is set out, it can be windy and splits occur early in the stage, but it all boils down to the two laps up Willunga. The first lap is the first natural selection where you get rid of all the non-climbers but you still get a pretty big group going into the bottom for the last time. I guess BMC are going to have a few cards to play with two guys who will climb very fast up Willunga and that's when they need to put pressure on the non-climbers. As we saw in 2014 when Cadel lost contact in that last 300 metres, it ain't over till it's over as that split really made life hard for him to win the tour."
Winner - Richie Porte (Team Sky)
-
UCI to 'encourage development of protective equipment' such as rider airbags
Pro cycling moves toward MotoGP-style wearable protection -
Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Shadow Jersey review: Rapha's latest foul-weather jersey is something of a mishit
The Shadow Jersey has some good points, but poor breathability and a high RRP mean it doesn't trump existing options on the market -
Paul Seixas may not be the new Tadej Pogačar, but his Algarve performance proved that the hype is very much real
After a debut season flecked with promise, cycling's latest teenaged super-talent already looks like he belongs at the top -
Best bike covers 2026: Keep your pride and joy protected from the elements
The best bike covers keep your bike protected from the elements when you need to store them outside, or protect your house when you bring the bikes in
