Santos Tour Down Under 2025 Stand Out Stage

We’re getting our racing fix from the Southern Hemisphere this month, as the Santos Tour Down Under 2025 gets underway with the first WorldTour races of the UCI season.

The Tour starts and finishes in Adelaide, with the women’s 322.8 km over three stages, and the men’s race covering 1198 km over six stages, all set across South Australia where riders will take on challenging routes while battling the heat.

With all Tours we like to pick out a stand out stage, and for this year’s Tour Down Under we throw the spotlight on Stage 5 for the men’s, and Stage 2 for women’s race, with both finishing on Willunga Hill. This infamous climb is a prominent feature of the day and the final 34 kms for both races will incorporate two ascents of this beastly climb.

Willunga Hill 2D profileWillunga Hill Stats

  • 3.6km long
  • 7% average gradient
  • Max 9.5% max gradient
  • Steeper section is earlier in the climb, then it steadies a little

Willunga Hill 3D

 

Women’s Race – Stage 2
Date: 18th January
Distance: 115km

The women’s race will be one to watch as from the start riders will be going into the red with three initial climbs. Last year’s winner of the stage and overall champion Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) set the benchmark high, and even though she is not competing, she also holds the Strava QoM (from the 2021 race) for the Willunga Hill segment. Third in 2024 on the Willunga Stage was Neve Bradbury who returns this year – can she take the win, and can anyone beat the QoM under the pressure of the race?!

Men’s Race – Stage 5
Date: 25th January
Distance: 146km

In 2024 Scottish rider Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) took an impressive victory on Willunga Hill beating Julian Alaphilippe and GC winner Stevie Williams in the final 300m. Oscar is back for 2025 to try for the stage win for a second year, and perhaps overall victory. 

 

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