Profiles & Route Tour Down Under 2025 - Tour Down Under and explosive hilly stages to define GC
Cycling
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 take a look at it's profiles.
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.
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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. It's not a pan-flat day, with 1600 meters of climbing, but the climbing won't be too difficult either.
There will be a two-lap circuit into the the finish, it will include a climb that is 1.5 kilometers long at 6.7% which could do damage, but it comes with 30 kilometers to the finish and it's unlikely that there will be teams wanting to go all-out from that far out. Likely a fight for positioning, a relatively calm climb, and then the approach to the finish.
This one won't be easy, it's not a finale with sharp bends or road furniture but instead the final kilometers will zigzag through a valley, with small uphill and downhill gradients which mean that the teams will want to position themselves very well from early on. From 1.2 kilometers to go to 400 meters to go it rises slightly, and then the final 400 meters slowly tilt to the left and have a slightly downhill gradient to it.
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.
It's a very short stage, so that should contribute to the chances of the fast men that for the most part will have a quick and calm ride. The stage is a 3-lap circuit and mostly on non-technical roads. The ascent, Menglers Hill, is 2.8 kilometers long at 6.6% and finishes with 22.5 kilometers to go.
There may be some attacks, there may be some teams pushing as not all sprinters can handle such an effort too well. It can be a finale with interesting dynamics but ultimately the final kilometers are a flat and completely straight line which means any attack or small group will struggle. 0 technical features, so leadouts can leave it late to push to the front.
Perhaps the trickiest stage of the race. Being the one with the toughest start, up Norton Summit which immediately climbs from the start, it does create the opportunity for a strong group to be formed - however it's unlikely that it will happen, as that's a rare occasion in this race. Most of the day is flat but the finale does throw in a few difficulties.
Another circuit finish, this one into Uraidla which is not the first time in recent years. We have got the climb to Pound Reserve which has a pretty steep ramp at it's start, it's 2.7 kilometers long at 7.7% and the pace at the start should be very high over positioning.
On this climb you can see attacks, dangerous ones from the main contenders for the GC. It ends with 6 kilometers to go but from there to the finish it's even more dangerous. The roads are up and down and to chase down any attack is almost impossible - specially if it's not a solo rider. All-in-all it's a perfect finale for opportunists, any attack can succeed as the finale is downhill and the speeds will be very high, with a small group to chase.
Stage 4 is another explosive day that can be dangerous and even decisive for the GC. It's the only stage of the race that does not finish in a circuit, it's a tricky one too. An uphill start, a couple climbs throughout the day... A day for puncheurs and where it's possible for late attacks to succeed.
Nettle Hill close to the finale features some tough gradients and we can certainly see attacks there, it will be the key point of the day. It's 1.8 kilometers long at 8.4% and finishes with 21.5 kilometers to go. The steepest climb in the race, it can certainly see big moves. What happens after depends on the situation at the summit.
There is another small rise which is 2.4 kilometers long at over 3% where more attacks can come, mostly from rouleurs, closer to the finish with just over 10 to go. A small downhill and then a relatively technical finale into Victor Harbor. A flat one, but with a roundabout coming with only 400 meters to go. Positioning all the way at the front will be important.
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. Early in the day they will ascent the Wickham hill and actually go down the final ascent which should see some crazy speeds.
However most of the day will be flat, and in the penultimate climb there are never serious moves. It's all about saving the legs to the final climb and then deliver some impressive watt bombs. It's one where the climbers are better suited but it's not overly difficult and some puncheurs can also handle the more constant pace as it's not too long.
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 climb is constant and towards the end it features a few bends. In some years a late attack succeeds, but we can't discard the possibility of a small group sprint to the line.
The race finishes with the traditional criterium in Adelaide, where the sprinters will fight for one final win in a very fast stage. There really isn't too much to say about this stage, it's completely flat and features around two dozen laps of a small and explosive circuit. If a breakaway goes up the road, it won't be easy to catch them.
But this is terrain for all-out pace from the start, and the sprinter teams should be able to control it. All eyes on a bunch sprint and the final corner which comes very close to the finish, ending at around 200 meters to go.
Leadouts will be crucial here as whoever starts their sprint from the front may very well be close enough to the finish to avoid being surprised by the fast men coming from behind.
Don't just watch the action, be part of it! 🚲 From children to adults, there's a ride for every level of cyclist 🙌 Join the ride: https://t.co/S7UhhJpJmR#TourDownUnder @SantosLtd pic.twitter.com/gsq8T7ADmf
— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 8, 2025
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- Hirschi and Alaphilippe on Cancellara's team, honestly sounds like a great choice if they manage to play the game the way Van der Poel did, a few years ago. They know where they need to be at the end of next year, in terms of points, so now it's just a question of being there. I'm not sure Alaphilippe will play the role he dreams of, and his jerky movements on the bike continue to annoy me, but I truly wish him and the team the best of luck in reaching their goal. It makes for better racing when teams like Tudor (he still refers to it as a "project," love that) are fighting to get into the World Tour.RidesHills09-01-2025
- Nice to see him with a sense of humor about the wins. That's actually a really good sign of how he's feeling, most of the time.RidesHills09-01-2025
- He’s good at messing up his WCs ;-)Mistermaumau09-01-2025
- so, tom could dedicate himself to CX all year, every year and probably never beat mathieu in a cyclocross world championship, barring a crash or injury or whatever. does pidcock have that kind of advantage over van der poel in XCO, or is that a gap mvdp can close even at this latter stage of mathieu’s career?OCexile09-01-2025
- Yes, I also think teams should start re-evaluating their TdF commitments according to rider goals. As long as a rider doesn’t have any realistic chance of sone form of glory, don’t force them just to end up with a forgettable result, give someone else on the team the experience and chance to prove themselves and let your better rider focus on goals they CAN aim for. You really get the feeling some riders are being forced to pretend they can achieve something when they know they haven’t got a hope.Mistermaumau09-01-2025
- It’s very difficult to say now since he’s hardly ever raced over the last 5-6 years. Had he continued when he was good at it he’d most definitely have won it at some point, the type of course playing a decisive role. But business dictated he should focus more on road racing. Much as he tries, you can’t be everywhere at once and win it all and there are only so many years to a career.Mistermaumau09-01-2025
- I hope for the sake of others she doesn’t become an expert ;-) As OCexile has pointed out she’s capable enough of winning already. The others won’t be as tolerant of her as the men are of Pog if she starts sweeping everything up.Mistermaumau09-01-2025
- i’m ashamed to admit that i really don’t know enough about mtb and xco to know mathieu’s chances of winning world’s if he dedicates his season to that discipline once the spring classics are over. anyone want to take a moment to enlighten me i’d appreciate your take on it.OCexile09-01-2025
- So he goes to FDJ lol.Suipedali09-01-2025
- Cannot blaim him with those 2 super humansspock12309-01-2025