Startlist Tour Down Under 2026 | Jhonatan Narváez, Adam Yates, Jay Vine, Matthew Brennan, Ben O'Connor & more

The 2026 Tour Down Under, the season’s first WorldTour race, will start on January 20th in Adelaide and finish on the 25th of January, with a start list that blends established stars, new signings, and a strong home contingent. The race organisation has released the preliminary entry list, confirming a total of 141 riders for a week that will once again mark the top-tier season opener over 759 kilometres.

Defending champion Jhonatan Narváez will headline a particularly powerful UAE Team Emirates - XRG, joined by Adam Yates and Jay Vine, in a line-up that mirrors the Emirati squad’s dominance across 2025. The team will look to carry that momentum into Australia, relying on a balanced block with overall ambitions, options on demanding stages, and firepower for fast finishes. Below is the provisional start list via Cycling Startlists.

INEOS Grenadiers will arrive at the Tour Down Under with several points of interest, notably the debuts of Jack Haig and Sam Welsford with their new team. By contrast, Oscar Onley, a headline signing for 2026, is not on the roster despite spending much of the winter in Australia and his former team, Picnic PostNL, having earmarked this race as his season opener. The British squad will also lean on the experience of Michal Kwiatkowski and Ben Swift, with Welsford as their finisher in the sprints.

Another focal point will be Matthew Brennan, the main reference for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, returning to Australia aiming for a stage win after coming close on the opening day last year. It will also be a special edition for Guillaume Martin, making his Tour Down Under debut with Groupama - FDJ United, and for Ben O’Connor, who will race on home roads as leader of Team Jayco AlUla alongside Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid.

At Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Haimar Etxeberria’s debut brings optimism to the German outfit. Riders like Danny Van Poppel, Laurence Pithie, and Finn Fisher-Black should shoulder leadership responsibilities, while the Basque rider, arriving from Kern Pharma, gets his first chance to shine.

The provisional list also confirms the presence of riders such as Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain - Victorious), George Bennett (NSN Cycling Team), Laurence Pithie and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe), as well as Matthew Dinham with Picnic PostNL. Among notable first-timers, Alberto Dainese will make his Tour Down Under debut in Soudal - Quick-Step colours, further raising the interest in a race that once again will serve as an early-season benchmark from day one.

The Tour Down Under will once more provide the year’s first major testing ground, mixing opportunities for climbers, classics specialists, and sprinters, while also showcasing young talents and local riders thanks to the Australian national team’s presence.

In 2026, the Santos Tour Down Under will again open the WorldTour season, with the new edition running in Australia from 17.01.2026 to 25.01.2026. The women’s race will be held from 17.01 to 21.01, while the men’s race will open with a prologue on 20.01 and finish on 25.01.

Although the favourites are not yet confirmed — Tadej Pogacar has been mentioned — this edition promises plenty of excitement. The route brings changes, with decisive climbs such as Willunga Hill, tackled three times, and the famous Corkscrew Road, climbed twice, plus a big final circuit in Stirling.

Beyond the race, the 2026 Tour Down Under will deliver a 10-day cycling festival. Fans can enjoy various venues, participatory activities such as the Adelaide Epic or the Carpark Climb, a Bike Expo, and the team presentation in Victoria Square on 16.01.