January 2026 calendar - Which races will mark the start of the new season?

January 2026 marks the official start of the international cycling season with a calendar concentrated in Oceania, the Americas, Asia, and the first European fixtures. As usual, the Australian national championships open up the action, while races such as the Tour Down Under, the one-day races in Valencia and the AlUla Tour open up the action at a high level in separate continents.

The main focus of the WorldTour’s kickoff once again lies in Australia. The Santos Tour Down Under opens the top-tier calendar yet again, first with an initial block and then the WorldTour race between 20 and 25 January. Adelaide and its surrounds become the starting point of the season before the action continues with the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which completes the WorldTour launch on Australian soil.

Meanwhile, January also offers a broad range of stage-races outside the World Tour. The Vuelta al Táchira retains its historical role as one of the year’s first stage races, joined by events such as the Tour El Salvador, the Tour de Pune, the Volta a Sharjah, or the AlUla Tour, strengthening cycling’s presence in Asia and the Middle East at the start of the season.

In Europe, the starting gun is fired by Spain’s one-day races. The Clássica Camp de Morvedre opens the European calendar on the 23rd of January, followed by a dense cluster of events in the Comunitat Valenciana and in Mallorca. These January one-day races have become the first testing ground for many riders and teams before the continental and World Tour calendars fully shift to Europe.