OFFICIAL: Australia's leading star confirmed for Tour Down Under return in 2026

Australian Grand Tour stage winner Ben O’Connor will begin his 2026 season on home soil, with organisers confirming the Santos Tour Down Under 2026 as his first race of the new year. The 30-year-old becomes the first rider officially announced for the event and will lead Team Jayco AlUla on a route that has been deliberately shaped around climbing talent.

O’Connor arrives in South Australia off the back of the biggest Tour de France win of his career, having taken this year’s Queen Stage on the Col de la Loze ahead of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. The victory helped him secure 11th overall despite crashing on the opening day.

Speaking in the race’s official announcement, O’Connor made clear that the TDU still holds a special place in his calendar. “It’s one of the best races of the year,” he said. “Riding with Team Jayco AlUla there is a responsibility to perform there, so I want to be ready and switched on.”

He last raced the Tour Down Under in 2023, finishing sixth overall and third on the final stage to Mount Lofty. The 2026 edition marks a return to where he launched his professional career in 2017.

With two ascents of the Corkscrew, three trips up Old Willunga Hill and a Stirling finale expected to shape the race, the route plays directly to O’Connor’s strengths. He highlighted the Uraidla stage in particular. “I think the main stage will be the Uraidla day when you go up the Corkscrew and turn left, it makes the climb 2km longer… it does suit me a bit better,” he said.

The Stirling finale also caught his attention. “That final day in Stirling is pretty relentless… I’m thinking things can get pretty out of hand later in the laps, because there will be some fatigue and it’s a pretty unforgiving circuit.”

Across the week, O’Connor believes the race will demand constant focus. “You can’t play it safe any day at the TDU if you’re trying to win it or finish top three, because the difference between third and sixth can be five seconds.”

Race Director Stuart O'Grady welcomed the announcement and said the course is built for a rider of his calibre. “We are very excited to have Ben back… he returns to Adelaide as a multiple Grand Tour stage winner and one of the top general classification riders in the world.”

“The challenging course for next year's TDU will suit his climbing abilities,” he added, saying he expects Team Jayco AlUla to bring a strong squad to support O’Connor’s push for the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey.

The 2026 men’s route includes an inner-city prologue, two Corkscrew ascents, three climbs of Old Willunga Hill and a decisive Stirling finale. Meanwhile, the women’s race will be the longest in its history at 395km, with new stage starts in Willunga, Norwood and Magill, two ascents of the Corkscrew and a new one-day race in the Barossa.

For the first time, all 15 Women’s WorldTeams and all 18 WorldTour men’s teams will start the race together — setting the stage for one of the most competitive editions the event has hosted.