Preview. Stage 5 of the Tour Down Under is the queen stage. The riders return to the Old Willunga Hill, an explosive summit finish where the gaps can very well decide the race.
Stage 5 sees the return of the Willunga Hill. It's the traditional Tour Down Under finale, and a stage that can be decisive. This is the comeback of the race's (and region's) most famous climb. It is a day that is very short and should be very calm all throughout, with the exception of the end. Like Milano-Sanremo, it is a slow buildup towards what should be a very explosive finale.
Stage 5: Christies Beach - Willunga Hill, 129.3 kilometers
The riders will climb twice the 3-kilometer ascent at 7.5%, the first of which summits with 22.5 kilometers to go. However here there's rarely action, just positioning towards the base but then the race calms down. It's a non-technical and consistent climb so the riders will likely remain in a calm zone. Then in the run-up to the final climb the fight is serious.
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Then, it's a 10-minute effort approximately - including the run-up to the ascent. High speed and big chainring, it's a climb where attacks have to be very powerful to make the difference as it will be raced at high speed. Still, the few seconds, and bonifications at the finish line, often prove vital for the decision of the ochre jersey.
The Weather
Map Tour Down Under 2024 stage 5
The heat intensifies once again, it will go close to 30 degrees once again. The wind will also be blowing reasonably hard from the west. In the McLaren Vale the roads are exposed, we will have a very long exposed crosswind section before entering the final climb, which will make for a more difficult finale and where we can see bigger gaps perhaps.
The Favourites
Isaac del Toro - The Mexican enters the queen stage in the lead. A great climber, and apparently with strong form. This will be a completely new test for him however. It is hard to forget that his pro debut is literally the ongoing race, it would be a crazy achievement to win right away the GC. But it is completely viable, Del Toro does not have to attack, but to follow wheels only. Finn Fisher-Black could also be quite strong here, perhaps to ride in support of the 20-year old, but if there is a big difference he may try to go for the win himself.
Jhonatan Narváez - The Ecuadorian is in flying form, and with no doubt a headliner of the past week. His sprint is brilliant, but the amount of work he's done for teammates in the sprints is not ideal in the long-run. The explosivity is there with no doubt, and I think he'll wait for a sprint or a possible move in the final meters. With bonus seconds he's gotten beforehand, he has the chance to wait a bit more. The issue may be that the effort can be too long for him, but I'm sure he will either way play a role in the finale.
Simon Yates - Jayco has been having a tough week. Luke Plapp is out of the race and he looked superb on stage 2. Hence now the responsibility lies on Simon Yates, who has an effort well adapted to his skills. His form is a question however. The team does have Chris Harper as another option for this climb, however after finishing second last year he wants to improve on that in 2024.
We've got other climbers who would hope for a long effort and climb that is pushed to the limit. Jack Haig, George Bennett, Ben Zwiehoff, Ruben Guerreiro, Michael Storer and Damien Howson will be in the mix. Milan Vader, after winning the Tour of Guangxi last year, is also expected to be up there as he was the first rider over the top of the climb on stage 2 after Plapp and Narváez.
Julian Alaphilippe is a name often mentioned. In his best day he'd definitely be a man to beat on this one, but not currently... His form does not look promising. There are many puncheurs like him however who can do something big. Compatriots Louis Barré and Bastien Tronchon could be interesting outsiders. Laurence Pithie has also been having a very strong race and will be an interesting figure to keep up with.
We could certainly keep our eyes on Stephen Williams, Derek Gee and Corbin Strong who lead a strong Israel - Premier Tech block. Williams specially can do quite well on a climb like this, whilst Strong sits third in the GC and could take on the ochre jersey if he survives the pace well. Oscar Onley, Archie Ryan, Roger Adria and Gonzalo Serrano are further outsiders on the day,
Prediction Tour Down Under 2024 stage 5:
*** Jhonatan Narváez, Milan Vader
** Simon Yates, Isaac del Toro, Stephen Williams
* Finn Fisher-Black, Chris Harper, Jack Haig, Ruben Guerreiro, Michael Storer, Laurence Pithie, Corbin Strong, Oscar Onley
** Simon Yates, Isaac del Toro, Stephen Williams
* Finn Fisher-Black, Chris Harper, Jack Haig, Ruben Guerreiro, Michael Storer, Laurence Pithie, Corbin Strong, Oscar Onley
Pick: Jhonatan Narváez
Preview written by Rúben Silva.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
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- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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