PREVIEW | Tour Down Under 2025 - Cycling is back! Climbers, sprinters and classics specialists fight for first World Tour wins of the season

From the 21st to the 26th of January we have got the first men's World Tour event of the year. In Australia, the Tour Down Under is every single season the first big race of the year and we preview the race ahead.

The route consists of six stages as usual, short and without many technical roads which provides the opportunity for the riders to have a calm start to the season in warm temperatures. The race features a few tricky hilly days, but also the classical Old Willunga Hill as the day where the GC is the most likely to be decided.

The race starts off with a slightly hilly day from Prospect to Gumeracha, but it should be the sprinters to fight for the ochre jersey in the first finale of the race which will be rather technical.

Stage 2 starts and finishes in Tanunda and it will include several ascents of Menglers Hill. Whilst not brutal, this ascent allows opportunities for attack or to drop some sprinters, but a bunch sprint is still expected in the straight line final kilometers.

The GC could be decided on Old Willunga Hill, but if one of the GC contenders wins time on the previous 2 stages it can be deadly. This one is a good example, as the two-lap circuit into Uraidla features a tricky climb and rolling final kilometers where there can be lots of attacks and tactics.

Stage 4 is another explosive day that can be dangerous and even decisive for the GC. Nettle Hill close to the finale features some tough gradients and we can certainly see attacks there and then all the way into Victor Harbor. If they don't take the opportunity, the sprinters will happily do so.

The most famous climb in Australia is back once again for the queen stage that follows a traditional format. Starting in McLaren Vale, the peloton will ride around the area until they climb up the Old Willunga Hill twice. The climb is 3.3 kilometers long at over 7%, it's tough enough to make some difference and in this race every second counts.

The race finishes with the traditional criterium in Adelaide, where the sprinters will fight for one final win in a very fast stage.

UAE - UAE is the team that has the best chances of winning here. A Jay Vine in Australia always performs, and in 2023 he won the race so he knows exactly what to do. He's got the best climbing legs in the race if his form is on point, but UAE do not depend on him. Marc Soler can also do well, but it's in new signing Jhonatan Narváez that they can really take it, as the Ecuadorian is a brilliant puncheur with an explosive sprint, and he can handle climbs as hard as Willunga - last year he finished second in GC, and he can certainly win it this time around.

Luke Plapp - Jayco are perhaps the only top team fully focused on GC here, with no Caleb Ewan in sight. Luke Plapp is their main card, they have other riders but it's Plapp who showed outstanding form at the national championships and in these climbs, the powerful engine he has can destroy entire pelotons. Jayco's job is to keep everything together until the final climbs, and then he put those long attacks to good use.

Stephen Williams - Israel are the defending champion's team and they are all-in to defend Stephen Williams' title. Winner of Down Under, Flèche Wallonne and the Tour of Britain last year, the Welshman is the team leader the second-division squad needed. His specialty is the short/medium-distance climbs and short days on the bike and this is exactly what he'll have, and why he won last year. Williams is versatile and a proven winner, backed up by similar riders in Michael Woods and George Bennett, and even a Corbin Strong who can be threatening as well taking into consideration his chances in the sprints.

Red Bull - Finn Fisher-Black likely the team leader here, a very strong puncheur who will now finally have his leadership after departing UAE. And I really do believe he is capable of winning this race, I don't forget how he was second to Vingegaard at a summit finish at the Vuelta in 2023, these short of low-effort days with a medium-distance climb at the end are just perfect for the Kiwi. Laurence Pithie could also be interesting, perhaps Willunga is too long for him but if not, the bonifications that he can grab throughout the race may make him very dangerous.

INEOS - The British team certainly do not have the kind of team that usually thrives in these hilly races, but they have plenty potential candidates. Geraint Thomas is likely to start off slow, but you never know. New signing Lucas Hamilton is also a wildcard, but a talented climber... Magnus Sheffield for once is a good climber but a very dangerous rouleur, who has the possibility of gaining time on the tricky hilly days whilst Michal Kwiatkowski in his best form would be the ideal kind of rider for such a race, favouring the short climbs very well, having the sustained climbing power if it's really hard, but also a strong sprint to chase bonifications.

We have other favourites however, starting off with Oscar Onley coming in as the newly-named Team Picnic PostNL team, he was the winner last year at Old Willunga Hill and any man who can do that is certain to be a contender for the victory. In their prime, riders like Sergio Higuita, Andrea Bagioli and Ion Izagirre could also be big threats, but a lot will depend on their current form. Astana also have Alberto Bettiol as an important card, whilst Cofidis is also chasing those UCI points and has Jesús Herrada as an outsider.

Lidl-Trek have a trio of cards to play with Bagioli having Patrick Konrad and Bauke Mollema as co-leaders, EF has Lukas Nerurkar as an interesting rider who's been evolving very well, Quick-Step should back up young Belgian talent William Lecerf Junior, Movistar has Javier Romo and Groupama - FDJ is led by Rémy Rochas.

It isn't an edition filled with opportunities for the fast men, but without a doubt we will have at least two bunch sprints throughout the week. It's a World Tour race, and it's very meaningful for a few riders. Although we don't have the big stars present, we should see Sam Welsford emerge once again as the man to beat in the fast finishes, specially backed up by a master leadout man in Danny van Poppel. Phil Bauhaus is the strongest of the pure sprinters besides him, whilst Tobias Lund Andresen is certain to also be in the fight to win a stage.

Andrea Vendrame, Corbin Strong, Henri Uhlig, Matthew Brennan, Arne Marit, Casper Pedersen, Rui Oliveira and Bryan Coquard will be the other men looking to raise their arms in the fast finales, some of them being very well capable of handling some hilly terrain.

*** Jhonatan Narváez, Luke Plapp, Stephen Williams
** Jay Vine, Oscar Onley
* Marc Soler, Mauro Schmid, Michael Woods, Corbin Strong, George Bennett, Laurence Pithie, Finn Fisher-Black, Michal Kwiatkowski, Magnus Sheffield, Sergio Higuita, Lukas Nerurkar, Ion Izagirre, Javier Romo

Pick: Jhonatan Narváez