The Santos Tour Down Under has announced a major adjustment to the men’s Stage 4 due to extreme conditions forecast in the region. The Old Willunga Hill will not be climbed due to extreme heat and fire risk, changing the outlook of the race dramatically.
The organisers took the decision after an “extreme” fire danger rating was declared for the Mount Lofty Ranges and with maximum temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees. The priority is the safety of riders, staff, and fans.
Among the key changes, the stage will start earlier. The peloton will roll out from Brighton at 10:10, one hour ahead of the original schedule. The route has also been reworked. Willunga Hill, one of the race’s signature climbs, has been removed. Instead, the stage will finish on High Street in the town of Willunga. With these changes, the total distance is reduced to 131 kilometres.
Organisers have asked fans not to ride up Willunga Hill on the day, to take heat precautions, seek shade, and stay well hydrated. They also stress the importance of following emergency services’ instructions throughout the day.
Read also
Jhonatan Narváez won on Willunga Hill in 2025
GC tilting towards UAE
Removing Willunga Hill pushes the general classification further towards UAE Team Emirates -XRG after the Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez, who dominated the stage into Uraidla. Last year the Ecuadorian built his overall win on Old Willunga Hill.
In the fight for the final podium spot, Mauro Schmid now carries a small buffer over Harry Sweeny, Marco Brenner, Andreas Kron, Adam Yates, and Ben O'Connor.
| Position | Rider | Team | Time / Gap |
| 1 | Vine Jay | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | 09:50:16 |
| 2 | Narvaez Jhonatan | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 00:06 |
| 3 | Schmid Mauro | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 01:05 |
| 4 | Sweeny Harry | EF Education-EasyPost | + 01:12 |
| 5 | Brenner Marco | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | + 01:14 |
| 6 | Kron Andreas | Uno-X Mobility | + 01:16 |
| 7 | Leonard Michael | EF Education-EasyPost | + 01:22 |
| 8 | Raccagni Noviero Andrea | Soudal Quick-Step | + 01:22 |
| 9 | Yates Adam | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 01:23 |
| 10 | Charmig Anthon | Uno-X Mobility | + 01:23 |
| 11 | Zana Filippo | Soudal Quick-Step | + 01:23 |
| 12 | Sobrero Matteo | Lidl-Trek | + 01:27 |
| 13 | O'Connor Ben | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 01:28 |
| 14 | Romo Javier | Movistar Team | + 01:28 |
| 15 | Tesfazion Natnael | Movistar Team | + 01:29 |
| 16 | Cepeda Jefferson | Movistar Team | + 01:30 |
| 17 | Schiffer Anton | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 01:31 |
| 18 | Svestad-Bårdseng Embret | INEOS Grenadiers | + 01:33 |
| 19 | Prodhomme Nicolas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | + 01:33 |
| 20 | Harper Chris | Australia | + 01:36 |
| 21 | Hamilton Chris | Team Picnic PostNL | + 01:36 |
| 22 | Oomen Sam | Lidl-Trek | + 01:39 |
| 23 | Glivar Gal | Alpecin-Premier Tech | + 01:39 |
| 24 | Schultz Nick | NSN Cycling Team | + 01:42 |
| 25 | Bleddyn Oliver | Australia | + 01:54 |
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
- And the place he calls home is in Slovenia with his parents.RidesHills04-11-2026
Loading
⚠️ IMPORTANT THINK! ROAD SAFETY STAGE 4 UPDATE ⚠️ Due to the ‘Extreme’ Fire Danger Rating for the Mount Lofty Ranges and predicted maximum temperatures of 43 degrees, THINK! Road Safety Men’s Stage 4 has been modified for the safety of riders, staff and fans. Key changes: ⏰
Write a comment