Date | January 17-19, 2026 |
Distance | 394km |
Start location | Willunga Hill |
Finish location | Athelstone |
Category | Women's WorldTour |
Previous edition winnner | Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) |
Women's Tour Down Under: Noemi Rüegg outsprints UAE Team ADQ rivals to win stage 3 and claim overall for second year in a row / As it happened
It was two wins in a row for Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) at the 2026 Women's Tour Down Under, with the Swiss rider taking victory on the final day to also claim the overall title. After staying in contention on stages 1 and 2 with solid sprints, Rüegg found herself outnumber by three UAE Team ADQ in a small group that went away on the hillier stage 3, but she played the situation to perfection to successful defend her ochre jersey.
Mavi García and Paula Blasi (both UAE Team ADQ) finished second and third on the overall.
On stage 1, Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez) sprinted to the win as the peloton narrowly caught the solo breakaway rider Alessia Vigilia (Uno-X Mobility) in sight on the line. Wollaston won again on stage 2, conquering a harder course and bringing back a strong late move to continue her stint in ochre, but the final stage was too hard for the Kiwi rider who ceded the lead to Rüegg.
2026 Women's Tour Down Under Information
The Women's Tour Down Under is the opening event of the Women's WorldTour, this year held from January 17-19 in Australia.
The race in and around Adelaide during the Australian summer traditionally delivers short but varied stages in sweltering conditions and has proved a popular target for the home-nation riders as they get a rare opportunity to race in front of family and friends.
Australians have dominated the winners list, with Sarah Gigante winning the overall title in 2024, Grace Brown taking the leader's ochre jersey in 2023 and Amanda Spratt claiming the win from 2017 to 2019. Ruth Edwards (née Winder), however, proved an exception in 2020 with the American taking the top step.
Swiss rider Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) won in 2025, and again in 2026, the first back-to-back winner since Spratt's triple.
Cyclingnews is on the ground for the season-opening 2026 Tour Down Under, and a subscription gives you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. From breaking news and analysis to exclusive interviews and tech, we've got you covered as the new season gets underway in Australia. Find out more.
2026 Women's Tour Down Under start list
Data powered by FirstCycling
2026 Women's Tour Down Under Schedule
Date | Stage | Start time (ACDT) | Finish time (ACDT) |
|---|---|---|---|
Saturday January 17, 2026 | Stage 1 | 10:13 | 14:20 |
Sunday January 18, 2026 | Stage 2 | 10:41 | 14:05 |
Monday January 19, 2026 | Stage 3 | 11:04 | 14:20 |
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Women's Tour Down Under17 January 2026 - 19 January 2026 | South Australia | Women's WorldTour
- Women's Tour Down Under 2026 route
- Absence of Willunga Hill creates wide-open 2026 Women's Tour Down Under – Analysing the contenders
- Women's Tour Down Under past winners
Latest Content on the Race
'First time I will wear bib number one' - Noemi Rüegg faces new territory as defending champion at 2026 Tour Down Under
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'I'm sick of losing' – Hunger remains for Chloé Dygert as she starts new season at Tour Down Under
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Newly-crowned Australian champion Mackenzie Coupland takes confidence boost to Tour Down Under in WorldTour debut
News 'This jersey is a representation of how strong our team is' says 20-year-old who will show off new green and gold jersey in Adelaide this weekend
Ignore the naysayers, the Tour Down Under is proper racing and my favourite way to start the season – Opinion
Opinion Us Europeans are too quick to downplay the importance of the Australian summer, maybe we should appreciate it more
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Contenders Defending Champion Noemi Rüegg faces toughest field yet at three-day Women's WorldTour opener
'You can always find a few more watts to give it everything to the line' - Outnumbered Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto snag pair of Australian National Championships podiums
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Launching a new road racing season – A guide to Australia's 2026 sun-drenched opening block
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'We'll just hope that the climbing I've been doing over winter is is enough' – Josie Nelson heads into final day of Women's Tour Down Under in second overall after claiming another stage podium spot
The British rider will soon find out if the pay-off from the hard work can keep rolling into a tough stage 3 -
'I suffered a lot today' – Ally Wollaston flicks the switch to take control in ultra-tense stage 2 finale of Women's Tour Down Under
'I struggled through 99% of that race and when I got to the last 10km my teammate basically just told me to pull myself together' says Wollaston after winning her second stage in a row -
'Nervous and chaotic' - Josie Nelson powers through hectic sprint finale for podium finish in opening Tour Down Under stage
First race for several riders with Picnic-PostNL no obstacle for strong collective performance and second place for Nelson
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‘As a sprinter, it's kind of out of your hands’ - Women’s Tour Down Under stage 1 winner Ally Wollaston avoids being trumped by solo break this time
New Zealander takes first leader’s jersey of Women’s WorldTour race after Alessia Vigilia reeled back in -
'First time I will wear bib number one' - Noemi Rüegg faces new territory as defending champion at 2026 Tour Down Under
'I think it's coming down to the last stage, the Corkscrew climb' says EF Education-Oatly rider about new stage 3 route -
'I'm sick of losing' – Hunger remains for Chloé Dygert as she starts new season at Tour Down Under
'I'll never be the same rider as I was before' says two-time elite women's time trial World Champion but chase for top step continues
-
Newly-crowned Australian champion Mackenzie Coupland takes confidence boost to Tour Down Under in WorldTour debut
'This jersey is a representation of how strong our team is' says 20-year-old who will show off new green and gold jersey in Adelaide this weekend -
'Here to win' as SD Worx-Protime take on first Tour Down Under with Femke Gerritse leading the way
'Who will stay the most cool? That rider might very well come out on top' says Gerritse -
'You can always find a few more watts to give it everything to the line' - Outnumbered Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto snag pair of Australian National Championships podiums
Bradbury claimed third place, while Dixon scored a career-best second in the under-23 race
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'It could be a miracle if I make it over' - Turning of the screws set to ignite GC jumble on the climbs of Women's Tour Down Under stage 3
Top 27 riders all sitting within 24 seconds of leader Ally Wollaston, and with two tough late climbs, Monday's final GC battle is wide open -
From 'a bit of a sideshow' to 'proper start to the season' - The changing shape of the Women's Tour Down Under
"Any result here is meaning more and more, but it also makes it a lot harder to get those results" says three-time winner Amanda Spratt -
Ignore the naysayers, the Tour Down Under is proper racing and my favourite way to start the season – Opinion
Us Europeans are too quick to downplay the importance of the Australian summer, maybe we should appreciate it more -
Launching a new road racing season – A guide to Australia's 2026 sun-drenched opening block
A Perth National Championships entree for the locals before world descends for Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race -
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