Former champs back for more at Santos Tour Down Under
02 JAN 2026
Reigning Santos Tour Down Under (TDU) champion Jhonatan Narváez is returning to defend the Ochre Jersey with a star-studded UAE Team Emirates-XRG roster heading to South Australia this month.
The 28-year-old is one of two former TDU winners on the team’s seven-man squad for the season-opening UCI WorldTour race, alongside Australian Jay Vine who won the title in 2023.
Vine is coming off a stellar 2025 season in which he won the mountains classification at the Vuelta a Espana for the second year in a row, a silver medal in the individual time trial and gold in the mixed relay at the UCI World Championships.
Vine and Narváez will also be joined by British star Adam Yates who is a Grand Tour stage winner and has won the Tour de Suisse, Tour of Romandie and Volta a Catalunya, as UAE Team Emirates-XRG look to go back-to-back.
The full start list for the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under has been officially revealed today.
The three-stage women’s race will be held from January 17-19 in addition to the Vanguard Women’s One Day Race in the Barossa on January 21, while the men’s race begins with the South Australia Prologue on January 20 followed by five road stages to January 25.
The men’s field will feature 140 riders from all 18 UCI WorldTeam’s as well as the Australian national team and Swiss ProSeries team Tudor Pro Cycling – which is owned by retired great Fabian Cancellara who will be in Adelaide for the race.
Australian sprint star Sam Welsford, who has won six stages of the TDU in the past two years, will make his debut with new team INEOS-Grenadiers in Adelaide.
INEOS-Grenadiers' roster also includes Australians Jack Haig and Lucas Hamilton, former world champion, Amstel Gold and Milan-San Remo winner Michal Kwiatkowski and Ben Swift who won two stages here in 2011.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s team features New Zealander Finn Fisher-Black who finished third overall in last year’s race, after third placings in Uraidla and Willunga.
Australia’s Team Jayco AlUla will be targeting the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey with star climber Ben O’Connor surrounded by quality teammates.
O’Connor - who won the queen stage of last year’s Tour de France – will be joined by road captain Luke Durbridge, Grand Tour stage winner Luke Plapp, Rudy Porter, Hamish McKenzie, Olympic gold medallist Kelland O’Brien and Mauro Schmid.
Australian veteran Simon Clarke will bid farewell to the sport after 17 seasons as a professional when he lines up for NSN Cycling Team which is also bringing experienced New Zealand climber George Bennett and Australian Nick Schultz.
The strongest ever women’s field for the TDU will include 90 riders who for the first time will represent all 14 UCI WorldTeam’s alongside the Australian national team.
Swiss rider Noemi Rüegg is returning as the defending champion alongside newly crowned world champion teammate Magdeleine Vallieres who will form a powerful 1-2 combination for EF Education-Oatly.
LIV Jayco AlUla will be bringing Australian Ruby Roseman-Gannon, who is a former national road race and criterium champion, and finished fourth overall at the TDU in 2023.
Lidl Trek’s TDU roster includes three-time champion Amanda Spratt as well as fellow Australian Lauretta Hanson.
UAE Team ADQ’s team includes Australian mixed relay world champion Brodie Chapman and Spain’s Mavi Garcia who was third in the road race at last year’s UCI World Championships and won a stage at the Tour de France Femmes.
South Australian Alex Manly won a stage of the TDU in 2023 and returns with AG Insurance – Soudal, as did American Chloé Dygert who rides for Canon//SRAM Zondacrypto with Neve Bradbury who is one of Australia’s best GC riders having finished on the podium of the TDU, Giro d’Italia and Tour de Suisse.
Quotes attributable to TDU Race Director Stuart O’Grady:
“We are thrilled with the quality of the field for both men’s and women’s races at this year’s Santos Tour Down Under.
“It’s an honour to once again have world champions, Grand Tour stage winners and Monument winners on the start line who are choosing to open their season in South Australia.
“The strength of this year’s field reflects the increased level of difficulty of the courses with longer stages and more climbs.
“For the first time ever, the men’s and women’s field will race up the Corkscrew twice, and the men up Willunga Hill three times.
“To have the likes of Ben O’Connor, who won the highest summit finish of last year’s Tour de France, and world champion Magdeleine Vallieres racing here is a huge boost for the event and we are equally delighted that Jhonatan Narváez and Noemi Rüegg are both returning to defend their titles.”
