Tour Down Under 2019 route: Willunga Hill remains the pivotal stage amongst a host of sprints
Guide to the six stages of the 2019 Tour Down Under, the opening race of the UCI WorldTour (January 15-20)


The Tour Down Under 2019 route looks set to stick with tradition, with a host of sprinter's stages and a likely GC decision made on Willunga Hill.
Being the first race of the new men's UCI WorldTour season, and as such it attracts a huge amount of interest.
The race is almost entirely based around Adelaide, South Australia, and its environs.
The men's event runs from Tuesday January 15 to Sunday January 20 whilst the women's kicks off on Thursday January 10 and concludes on Sunday January 13.
>>> UCI WorldTour calendar 2018
There's a 'Tour Down Under Classic' criterium on Sunday January 13, too - but this doesn't form a part of the battle for the leader's jersey.
Tour Down Under 2019 route stages
Stage one, Tuesday January 15, North Adelaide to Port Adelaide, 132.4km
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hlxyib_NtE
Adelaide plays host to the start of the opening stage, with the route travelling into the Adelaide Hills, first navigating Snake Gully before completing three loops of Paracombe, Inglewood and Houghton.
A flat fast finish lends itself to a bunch sprint, and there's two intermediates, each at Inglewood with a KOM opportunity at Snake Gully.
Stage two, Wedsnesday January 16, Norwood to Angaston, 149km
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR-0W_oosHg
Leaving Norwood Parade, the peloton disappears back into the Adelaide Hills, via Gorge Road and Chain of Ponds. The first ascent is Checker Hill, just outside of Kersbrook, and this forms the KOM climb.
There's sprints at Shannon Street and Miller Street, before a likely sprint finish in Angaston.
Stage three, Thursday January 17, Lobethal to Uraidla, 146.2km
A third stage played out in the Adelaide Hills, with a seriously undulating parcours consisting of punchy climbs.
After a loop through Charleston and Woodside, riders reach the KOM climb of Fox Creek. After riding through Forest Range, towards Summertown, there's six loops of the Uraidla, Piccadilly and Summertown townships.
There's two intermediate sprints at Charleston, and the finish is in Uraidla.
Stage four, Friday January 18, Uraidla to Athelstone, 129.2km
The race begins in Unley, with the hilltop towns of Stirling, Aldgate and Hahndorf featuring along the way. After visiting Mount Barker, riders face the Corkscrew climb - where there's KOM points on the line - before a downhill finish in Athelstone.
Sprints appear twice, at Adelaide Road.
Stage five, Saturday January 19, Glenelg to Strathalbyn, 149.5km
Things take a hilly turn with stage five. Leaving Glenelg, the peloton heads down the Southern Expressway to Myponga, before swinging off in the direction of Victor Harbor, Port Elliott, Middleton and Goolwa. Then it's back into the hills again, before a finish in Stranthalbyn.
The KOM climb is the Category 2 Sellicks Hill, and the sprints are at Myponga and Inman Valley.
Stage six, Sunday January 20, McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill, 151.5km
The Willunga Hill stage is so often the GC decider - and we'd expect it to be pivotal this year too.
The race starts in McLaren Vale, with the KOM points at Willunga Hill and the sprints at The Esplanade, Snapper Point.
Women's Tour Down Under 2019 route stages
The women's Tour Down Under also makes heavy use of the Adelaide Hills, though the Willunga Hill stage is yet to feature, with the final day being a criterium and likely to end in a bunch gallop.
Stage one, Thursday January 10, Hahndorf to Birdwood, 112.9km
The first stage kicks off in Hahndorf, and riders head into the Adelaide Hills, before a flat finish in Birdwood.
Leaving the start town, riders head north in the direction of Balhannah and Woodside, before completing a loop that covers Lobethal, Gumeracha (Intermediate Sprint point), Forreston, Birdwood, Mount Torrens and Charleston.
There's a diversion, to Mount Crawford on the second loop - before a climb to Mount Pleasant and the QOM points are awarded at Lucky Hit Climb.
Stage two, Friday January 11, Nuriootpa to Angaston, 116km
Stage two explores the Barossa region - with a largely flat route that finishes with an ascent to Angleston.
The main loop covers Greenock, Seppeltsfield, Tanunda, Bethany and Angaston ,with a KOM up Three Cols Climb, and a sprint at Murray Street.
Stage three, Saturday January 12, Nairne to Stirling, 104.5km
The race kicks of in Nairne, before a loop through Littlehampton, Balhannah and Oakbank. Then there's a left towards Hahndorf, before riders head south along the reverse of the men's stage 4 route.
There's an intermediate sprint in Echunga, and a QOM climb at Red Gum Hill in Greenhills Range.
The Adelaide Hills appear again, before more loops of Stirling, Heathfield and Aldgate before a climb to the finish.
Stage four, Sunday January 13, Bartels Road to Bartels Road, 42.5km
The final stage of the race is a criterium - so unless the standings are really close, it's unlikely to decide the winner. However, the fast sprinter's race should provide a spectacle and a new stage winner.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Cycling Weekly's Digital Editor Michelle Arthurs-Brennan is a traditional journalist by trade, having begun her career working for a local newspaper before spending a few years at Evans Cycles, then combining the two with a career in cycling journalism.
When not typing or testing, Michelle is a road racer who also enjoys track riding and the occasional time trial, though dabbles in off-road riding too (either on a mountain bike, or a 'gravel bike'). She is passionate about supporting grassroots women's racing and founded the women's road race team 1904rt.
Favourite bikes include a custom carbon Werking road bike as well as the Specialized Tarmac SL6.
-
-
400 training hours so far this year and 30 hour weeks: Strava reveals how the pros prepare for the Tour de France
Training data logged on Strava from January to June this year show the shear amount of in-the-saddle it takes to rock up at the sport’s biggest showdown
By Anna Marie Hughes • Published
-
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder: the pros attend a summer camp unlike any other
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder: the pros attend a summer camp unlike any other. Mountain bikers Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Christopher Blevins win the five-day stage race in the Cascade Mountains.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Extinction Rebellion planning to disrupt Santos Festival of Cycling
Activists will blockade routes on the race in protest against the title sponsor of the Adelaide-based event
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Postponed Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans races may take place ahead of September Worlds
The races, if the rumour is true, will be taking place before the UCI World Championships in Wollongong, Australia
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Tour Down Under TV guide 2020
Here's how and where to watch live video of the Tour Down Under
By Cycling Weekly • Published
-
Richie Porte wins on Willunga Hill again, but Daryl Impey leads Tour Down Under on countback
Richie Porte won the Tour Down Under's Queen stage on Willunga Hill for the fifth time in as many years, but Daryl Impey moved into the race's lead with just one stage remaining.
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Peter Kennaugh on Bora-Hansgrohe: 'I’m so much happier here'
Manxman Peter Kennaugh says that he is riding into top form with new team Bora-Hansgrohe at the Tour Down Under so that he can contest the Cadel Evans Road Race
By Sophie Smith • Published
-
'A wheel ain't gonna cut it': Riders borrowing fans' bikes and other stories from the Tour Down Under through the years
We've cast our eye back through the archives to remember some of the best and most popular stories from the Tour Down Under in last few years.
By Henry Robertshaw • Published
-
Elia Viviani: Everything clicked into place at Quick-Step Floors to take Down Under stage win
Italian sprinter Elia Viviani took his first victory for new team Quick-Step Floors at the Tour Down Under, after a few adjustments were made to his lead-out train
By Sophie Smith • Published
-
André Greipel pays tribute to late mother with Tour Down Under stage win
"I think my whole career is dedicated to her": André Greipel dedicates Tour Down Under stage win to his mother, who died in December
By Sophie Smith • Published