Mack Horton heading to the Santos Tour Down Under
12 DEC 2025
Olympic swimming gold medallist Mack Horton is no stranger to diving head on into a challenge.
Only now it involves a bike and the great outdoors rather than the thin black line on the bottom of a pool, and for Horton all roads lead to Adelaide for the Santos Tour Down Under in January.
The 29-year-old is training for RADL GRVL where he is set to test his legs in the popular event at McLaren Vale in the 127km Blue Course on January 23.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing more of Adelaide than just the swimming pool at Marion, I’ve been to Adelaide a lot for swimming events but you’re so focused on racing that there isn’t a lot of time for much else,” Horton said.
“But I’ve heard so many good things about South Australia and the Tour Down Under so I can’t wait to come over to watch the race as a cycling fan, explore the city and do some riding.”
Horton, who won 400m freestyle gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics and became world champion in 2019, retired from competitive swimming in 2024 and now works as a consultant with Deloitte after completing a business degree while he was competing.
He has since developed a love of cycling, regularly commuting to work in Melbourne and exploring the roads on weekends.
“Riding was on and off when I was in the pool, mostly when I had short breaks for two weeks of the year I’d try to get some cycling in,” he said.
“But during the year it was on a stationary bike in the heat chamber as part of my training routine.
“It was never the fun outdoor, go-on-an-adventure type cycling, it was staring at a wall watching my heartrate.
“Now I’m working I commute every day to work, on weekends I get out on a long ride and I just love that you can cover a lot of distance in a relatively shot period of time and there’s always somewhere new to go. And I still love the physical challenge as well.
“I ride a gravel bike to and from work and on weekends if the weather is good I usually do a road ride to get some speed going.”
While some swimmers finish their career never wanting to see a pool again, Horton still swims weekly as part of his fitness routine.
“I always wanted to make sure I still loved swimming when I retired, and that means I can keep going back and still swim with my old group and old coach because it’s always easier to have someone telling you what to do.
“I just jump in, thrash myself for an hour and that’s enough. But it is very different – when you’re swimming 10 times a week you have a very good feel for the water, and now it just feels awful, but it’s been about learning to love that feeling and not hang on to what I think it has to feel like.”
The new route for the third edition of RADL GRVL has been unveiled and for the first time, cyclists can choose from one of three distances – 126km, 64km (e-bike friendly) and 34km.
Formula One star Valtteri Bottas and South Australian professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell will again lead keen participants on a pre-race ‘budgy ride’ to the beach and host a barbecue watch party on Old Willunga Hill.
