The Santos Tour Down Under is Australia’s most important bike race and the primary race in the 2019 guys’ World Tour calendar. It’s had a bit of a shake-up this 12 months with the queen level moving to the very last day, which has to make for stimulating racing till the very quit. Read on for our preview of the 2019 guys’ Tour Down Under, such as observing the route, the degrees you remember, and the riders you should keep an eye fixed on.
THE COURSE
The men’s racing at the Tour Down Under starts offevolved on Sunday with the Down Under Classic, a one-hour criterium in East Adelaide. This race isn’t part of the TDU proper — it doesn’t depend on the general category — but it’s miles raced using equal riders to experience the most important event. The Classic is a high-quality hazard to see which riders are in shape for the real aspect, particularly the sprinters. There’s a ‘relaxation day’ on Monday, after which the six-degree TDU begins on Tuesday.
Stage 1: North Adelaide to Port Adelaide (132.4km) – A lumpy degree out via the Adelaide Hills, however, one that has to lead to a group dash.
Stage 2: Norwood to Angaston (149km) – A fairly trustworthy day that ends inside the Barossa Valley. There’s a mild upward push to the line over the last kilometer. However, it should nonetheless be a group dash.
Stage three: Lobethal to Uraidla (146.2km) – Another lumpy day within the Adelaide Hills that particularly accommodates six-and-a-half of laps of a tricky circuit around Uraidla. More than 3,300m of mountaineering for the day!
Stage 4: Unley to Campbelltown (129.2km) – Includes some climbs here and there, but this stage is all approximately the pinchy Corkscrew Road (2.5km at 9%) which peaks five.7km from the end. It’s all downhill to the road.
Stage 5: Glenelg to Strathalbyn (149.5km) – Features the early climb of Sellicks Hill but needs to lead to a bunch sprint.
Stage 6: McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill (151.5km) – The conventional queen stage of the TDU moved from level 5 to the final day of racing. The level consists of ascents of the now-well-known climb (3km at 7%) and finishes on the pinnacle of the second one.
DECIDING THE GC
Regarding tiers affecting the GC, there are clear standouts: degree 4 (thanks to Corkscrew Road) and level 6 (Willunga). The climbs are a comparable length, but the finishes are very extraordinary. The finish to Stage four is up and over the pinnacle of Corkscrew Road, which means you couldn’t just exactly uphill — you want to descend well and, in all likelihood,d have a fast finish. A solo winner on this stage is an opportunity (see Cadel Evans’ win in 2014), and a small organization is also coming.
