This is the 'queen stage', but the key is the fact that the organisers have made this the final day of racing, rather than the penultimate stage, like it was in the past," says Mitchelton-Scott head sports director Matt White. "In previous years, if you were within 10 seconds of the race lead after Willunga Hill, and going into the final day of racing, you still had a chance of winning the overall on the last day. That dynamic has been taken away, and that puts more importance on Willunga and the result there.
"There are no second chances this year. On Willunga, everyone knows where Richie Porte attacks. It's around the one-kilometre-to-go banner. However, nobody has been able to match his incredible accelerations. The time gaps in those last couple of minutes are always a mystery to a certain extent with cars being barraged and race radio delays, and key riders know they can hold nothing back all the way to the line."
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2026 gravel national and continental champions index
A guide to the riders who have climbed to the top steps of the podium at their national or continental championships -
Gravel Earth Series: Geerike Schreurs takes solo win as Tobias Kongstad sprints to victory at CORE4
Emily Newsom and Cole Davis secure runner-up positions in penultimate round of Gravel Earth Series -
‘8 plugs, 3 Co2 - still no luck’ – Rosa Klöser’s Leadville 100 bid ends in a car after tricky acclimatization following Tour de France Femmes
Gravel star took on her fifth mountain bike race one week after French Grand Tour -
Volta a Portugal: Rui Oliveira sprints to first pro win of his career on stage 10 as Alexis Guérin secures the overall victory
Daniel Cavia is second and Francisco Campos takes third in final chaotic sprint in Porto
