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.
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Climber-friendly course gives O’Connor room to aim high
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.
A historic edition for both men and women
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.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
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- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
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- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026
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