Tour Down Under 2026 - Start Times & Order Prologue

The 2026 WorldTour season officially raises the curtain on Tuesday, February 20th in Australia with the Tour Down Under prologue. As is tradition, the race opens the top-tier calendar with an individual time trial that will set the first gaps in the general classification and award the first ochre leader’s jersey. Adelaide again provides the stage for a short, explosive day with strong symbolic weight.

The prologue is virtually flat, starting and finishing in Adelaide itself over 3.6 kilometres. It’s a course built for powerful rouleurs and short-effort specialists, where every second will matter and there will be no room for error. While the gaps won’t be large, they can shape the early race dynamics and influence the following stages.

Michael Gogl of Alpecin-Premier Tech will be first off the ramp at 08:00 CET. Riders will then start at one-minute intervals in a prologue expected to run a little over two hours. The last rider to roll down the start ramp will be Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, who closes the session at 10:19 CET.

The Australian lines up as the leading favourite to pull on the first ochre jersey, a clear bet from his team even though last year’s winner was Jhonatán Narváez, then also riding for UAE.

Among the names to watch is Adam Yates, off at 08:59 CET, also in the colours of UAE Team Emirates - XRG. The Briton will aim to limit losses in an effort that doesn’t fully suit his profile, but could prove decisive for the GC.

Ivo Oliveira, another key man for the Emirati squad, starts at 09:59 CET, while Ben O’Connor, one of Australia’s prime GC cards, goes at 08:54 CET for the Team Jayco AlUla.