Santos Tour Down Under Back with a Bang
16 JUL 2025
The Santos Tour Down Under has announced the dates for next year’s event with the 10-day festival to again be the epicentre of international cycling from January 16-25 2026.
A teams presentation will open the event on Friday, January 16, before the men and women open the UCI WorldTour seasons.
For the first time in TDU history, all 15 women’s WorldTeams are set to be on the start line in Adelaide for the women’s race from January 17-19.
And the CBD will roar to life on Tuesday, January 20 when the men’s race begins with an inner-city prologue.
Last held as part of the TDU in 2023, the race against the clock is returning for next year’s event, complete with the time trial-style start ramp and hot seat for the leader.
The 3.6km prologue will begin just outside the City of Adelaide Tour Village in Victoria Square, taking riders east on Wakefield Street, south on East Terrace and entering Victoria Park via Halifax Street where they will do one lap and finish in front of the heritage grandstand.
It means the race for the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey will be on in earnest from the opening day before the sprinter and climber-friendly stages showcase the state’s internationally renowned natural beauty through the hills and along the coast.
Race Director Stuart O’Grady says:
“A prologue is a great way to kick start the first UCI WorldTour Race of the season because it shakes up the dynamic of the Tour, throwing man and machine against the clock, straight away
“Instead of a traditional sprint stage to start, it should create a more aggressive style of racing for the rest of the week because there might be guys who find themselves 10 or 20 seconds behind and they need to get that time back somewhere.
“The CBD start allows riders to use the Tour Village as a warm-up hub and the criterium track at Victoria Park will provide a great spectacle for fans to watch the first day of racing.”
