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2023 Tour Down Under Odds and Predictions

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The 2023 WorldTour in Cycling begins this weekend with the 23 rd edition of the Santos Tour Down Under on Saturday, January 14 in Adelaide, South Australia.

The 2023 TDU will see both the Men and Women returning, with the ladies back after a 2-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Men’s Tour Down Under will officially begin on Tuesday, January 17 with a 5.5 kilometer prologue time trial in the parks located north of Adelaide.

The changes to the men’s race should create a more open and thrilling tour, with the prologue time trial making local resident Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma) an overall favorite without ruling out other riders during the race before the final showdown on Mount Lofty.

The Men’s Tour Down Under was last contested in 2020 and saw Australian Richie Porte win for a second time. Porte (5-7½, 127), races for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers but he won’t be defending his title in Australia in the first major WorldTour peloton race of the new year 2023.

💥 TEAM LISTS ARE HERE 💥 See which riders will be on the start line in just over a week 👇 #TourDownUnder https://t.co/b8c39NPOaW — Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴‍♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 4, 2023

Cyclists from European countries headed to Australia last week so that they could acclimate from the 24 hours of airline flights and the brutal reality that it is Winter in the Northern Hemisphere right now. The early arrival also allows them to get a final block of training in Down Under.

Tour Down Under Betting Odds

Look for Tour Down Under odds at Cycling betting sites closer to the start of the 5-stage race, but the teams are known and we have a pretty good idea of who the top teams and riders should be and enough to offer up some Tour Down Under predictions for both the Men and the Women.

The United Kingdom-based UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers provided the last TDU winner. The team is back and is as strong as ever with the following riders:

The Ineos Grenadiers, Dennis and the Netherlands Jumbo-Visma, the Australian national team, and the UAE’s UAE Team Emirates are some of the stronger Men’s teams in the 2023 TDU.

It’s good to be back 🇦🇺🤝 Almost time to get the road season started and that means #TourDownUnder ! pic.twitter.com/TJ2wtYDXGO — INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) January 11, 2023

Looking at some 2023 UCI tour’s big races and their Futures odds, Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard and Slovenian Tadej Pogačar are co-favorites to win the 2023 Tour de France favorites at +115 at BetUS with Remco Evenepoel (+105) and Primož Roglič (2/1) as the 2023 Giro d’Italia favorites.

The temperatures in Adelaide right now are around 69°F (21°C) but are expected to climb for the later stages in the race this month. The winners of the lowest time in each stage are honored with the wearing of the Ochre Jersey.

The next race up on the 2023 UCI World Tour calendar will be on Sunday, January 29 with the 2023 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The 2023 UCI World Tour will stage 35 races this calendar year, ending with the Tour de Guangxi in China on October 17.

The 2023 Giro d’Italia is set for May 6 through May 28, the 2023 Tour de France is scheduled for July 1 through July 23, and the 2023 Vuelta a España is scheduled from Saturday, August 26 through Sunday, September 17 with the Cycling Triple Crown race starting out in Barcelona.

Recent Tour Down Under Men’s Winners

• 2022— No race (COVID-19)
• 2021— No race (COVID-19)
• 2020— Richie Porte, Australia (Trek–Segafredo)
• 2019 —Daryl Impey, South Africa (Mitchelton–Scott)
• 2018 —Daryl Impey, South Africa (Mitchelton–Scott)
• 2017— Richie Porte, Australia (BMC Racing Team)
• 2016— Simon Gerrans, Australia (Orica GreenEDGE)
• 2015 —Rohan Dennis, Australia (BMC Racing Team)
• 2014 —Simon Gerrans, Australia (Orica GreenEDGE)
• 2013 —Tom-Jelte Slagter, Netherlands (Blanco Pro Cycling)
• 2012 —Simon Gerrans, Australia (GreenEDGE)

Vooruitblikken op het nieuwe jaar in #grandecasino ! “Goede keuze om met @rogla naar de Giro te gaan” “Rohan Dennis wint de Tour Down Under” “Moet je @WoutvanAert niet zo lang mogelijk in het Tourklassement houden?” ⤵️⤵️ 🍏: https://t.co/sHMmdJQDQb 🟢: https://t.co/tEGnFJgxv8 pic.twitter.com/lUKJMjkC4A — Gɾᥲᥒᑯᥱ Cᥲ⳽ɩᥒo Poᑯᥴᥲ⳽t (@GrandeCasinoPC) January 5, 2023

Handicapping the Men’s, Women’s 2023 TDU Races

With five of the last seven and seven of the last 10 TDU Men’s winners being from Australia, backing an Australian rider no matter what team he might ride for seems like a solid betting strategy for this race.

Caleb Ewan leads the Australian team and should be among the Tour Down Under odds favorites when out. Besides Ewan, the Australian National Team also includes Jarrad Drizners, Graeme Frisilie, Connor Leahy, Zac Marriage, James Moriarty, and Liam Walsh.

Aussie and 2022 Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley leads the talented Bora-Hansgrohe Team which includes riders Marco Haller (Austria), Shane Archbold (New Zealand), Luis-Joe Luhrs (Germany), Jordi Meeus (Belgium), Maximilian Schachmann (Germany), and Giovanni Aleotti (Italy).

Italian Alberto Bettiol leads the EF Education-EasyPost Team from the US, one of the top of the 20 teams in the race, and Mikkel Honore (Denmark), Jens Keukeleire (Belgium), Sean Quinn (US), Jonas Rutch (Germany), Thomas Scully (NZ), and Lukasz Wisiniowski (Poland) are his teammates.

Maybe the team to beat is the Ineos Grenadiers, with elite riders like Ethan Hayter and Geraint Thomas. Brother Leo Hayter (UK), Kim Heiduk (Germany), Luke Plapp (Australia), Magnus Sheffield (USA), and Ben Swift (UK) will prove to be a hard team to beat in this season lid-lifter.

Australian Rohan Dennis, a previous TDU winner, and his Netherlands’ Jumbo-Visma team of Robert Gesink (Netherlands), Lennard Hofstede (Netherlands), Timo Roosen (Netherlands), Milan Vader (Netherlands), Timo Van Dijke (Netherlands), and Jos Van Emden (Netherlands) are threats.

We’re now only a few days out from the first Women’s WorldTour race of the 2023 season We got a teaser of who’s in form at Aussie Nats – Brodie for sure with Spratt looking very dangerous as well https://t.co/wTZE5lzdU5 — Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) January 12, 2023

Santos Tour Down Under Women’s Winners

• 2020— Ruth Winder, USA (Trek–Segafredo)
• 2019 —Amanda Pratt, Australia (Mitchelton–Scott)
• 2018 —Amanda Pratt, Australia (Mitchelton–Scott)
• 2017— Amanda Pratt, Australia (Orica–Scott)
• 2016— Katrin Garfoot, Australia (Orica-AIS)

The Australians have also done very well in the Women’s races of the Tour Down Under, although there have only been five of them since inception in 2016, with Aussies winning the first four years (2016-2019), so the handicapping angle here is simple. Aussies do very well racing in Australia.

Some of the stronger Women’s teams in the 2023 coming TDU are the American Trek-Segafredo Team with 3-time TDU winner Amanda Spratt and the Australian Jayco-Alula Team.

Along with Aussie sensation Spratt—likely the Women’s Tour Down Under betting odds favorite in the Cycling Futures market—the Trek-Segafredo Team also includes Lauretta Hanson (Australia), Brodie Chapman (Australia), Tayler Wiles (USA), Lisa Klein (Germany), and Ilaria Sanguinti (Italy).

And watch the American team EF Education-Tibco-SVB with Lauren Stephens (USA), Emma Langley (USA), Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA), Abigail Smith (UK), and Georgia Williams (NZ).

But for me, it’s Australian Spratt and the Trek-Segafredo Team or Australian Brown and FDJ-Suez in this opening race of the year.

An Aussie wins this race for the fourth time in six incarnations and makes both her home nation and American team proud in one fell swoop.

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Men’s Tour Down Under 2023 preview - Route, prediction and contenders

The 2023 men’s WorldTour calendar kicks off with a six-day stage race in Australia. Here’s all you need to know about the 23rd Santos Tour Down Under

It’s been two long seasons since the men’s professional peloton blew off the cobwebs and opened the season on sunny Australian shores. In both 2021 and 2022, the Tour Down Under was cancelled due to restrictions following the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning the WorldTour calendar was without its flagship race in the southern hemisphere. However, in 2023, the Tour Down Under is finally back from January 17 to 22 and it boasts an exciting route as well as a stellar line-up.

After its two year hiatus, the organisers of the Tour Down Under have restarted proceedings with an event first: a city prologue around Adelaide’s central business district. A day later, road racing kicks off in stage one which looks like it should be an opportunity for the sprinters with almost 150 kilometres of racing on the flatlands of South Australia’s Barossa region. Stage two is a hillier affair to the coastal town of Victor Harbor, while stage three will see the riders take on an even more undulating 116 kilometres from Norwood to Campbelltown.

Although the race then passes through Willunga, there will be no inclusion of the race's famed Willunga Hill in 2023, with stage four looking like another chance for the sprinters. To close proceedings, we can expect fireworks on the fifth and final day as the riders skirt through the Adelaide Hills, including four ascents of the famous Mount Lofty climb. This could be where the general classification winner is decided.

Heading up a star-studded field so far are a couple of big name riders including the 2022 Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), as well as local legend and former time trial world champion Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma). Newly-crowned Australian national road race champion Luke Plapp (Ineos-Grenadiers) will want to do the green and gold bands proud on home roads, and we can also expect to see his teammate, Geraint Thomas, in the fight for the overall general classification. Sprinters such as Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) will hope to be at the pointy end of the flatter stages.

As we buckle up and get ready for the first showing of the men’s WorldTour in 2023, here is a full preview of the 2023 men’s Santos Tour Down Under.

Stage three

There are some big names who will be kicking off their season in Australia this year. Two former winners of the race have been confirmed to take part: Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma) and Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech).

Image: Getty 

Dennis may struggle on some of the steeper inclines, but he’s been known to perform well in shorter stage races, leading Paris-Nice for four stages last year. Impey will be supported by a strong line-up for Israel-Premier Tech who have a number of options for this race, including Tour de France stage winner Simon Clarke . However, they are a team with sprint ambitions too, bringing former-European champion Giacomo Nizzolo and up-and-coming talent Corbin Strong , so it will be interesting to see how they balance their ambitions for both the overall classification and stage wins.

One team we can expect to focus on the general classification is the Ineos Grenadiers. They boast a strong squad for this race including former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas , Tour of Poland 2022 winner Ethan Hayter (who could also feature heavily in bunch sprints) and young talents like Australian national champion  Luke Plapp and the American prodigy,  Magnus Sheffield . With this line-up, it looks like the British squad will be one of the main protagonists in this year’s Tour Down Under and a key team to keep an eye on.

Image: Zac Williams/SWpix

Australian WorldTour team Jayco Alula (formerly Team BikeExchange-Jayco) will also want to have a strong showing in their home country. Michael Matthews is suited to a number of the stages in the Tour Down Under as a versatile rider who can sprint and get over short climbs, so we can expect him to go for stage wins. Simon Yates will likely be this team’s protected rider for the overall GC. 

Last year’s Giro d’Italia winner  Jai Hindley  will lead the Bora-Hansgrohe squad Down Under. He is a strong contender for victory overall and will be supported by seasoned puncheur   Max Schachmann .  Pello Bilbao  of Bahrain-Victorious finished fifth in the Giro d’Italia last year and could also be in for a chance at victory in Australia, as could AG2R Citroën Team’s  Ben O’Connor .

Finally, UAE Team Emirates are a squad which we can expect to be seeing plenty of at the front of the 2023 Tour Down Under. They bring one of 2022’s breakthrough riders Jay Vine who signed for the team following his two stage wins at the Vuelta a España last year. The Emirati team also has options with George Bennett and Marc Hirschi .

When it comes to the pure sprinters, Caleb Ewan will ride the race for the UniSA-Australia national team and will be hoping to open up his 2023 win tally early in the season after a lacklustre 2022 season. Gerben Thijssen of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty is another strong sprinter, as is Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Bryan Coquard of Cofidis.

It’s always tough to make predictions for the first race of the season. Some riders will come into the race with flying form, whereas others will be using the Tour Down Under as a way to open up their legs for bigger goals later in the season. It’s for this reason that we’re going to bank on an Australian rider to take victory who will be especially motivated to win in front of a home crowd. We think Rohan Dennis will reign supreme for Jumbo-Visma and will take the second victory at the Tour Down Under in his illustrious career.

Cover image: Zac Williams/SWpix

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Hello and welcome to our live coverage from the first WorldTour race day of the 2023 season at the Tour Down Under!

The first rider is already off in Adelaide!

James Moriarty, riding for the Australian national team, kicks off proceedings.

No time trial bikes here – the riders will be racing on normal road bikes here. They will, however, be allowed to race with the infamous 'puppy paws' position that has been outlawed by the UCI though.

Read more about that here...

Aero tucks and marginal gains to make a difference in Tour Down Under prologue – Rule clarification from UCI allows aero tuck position on road bikes

Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Patrick Bevin (Team DSM) among the early starters.

A look at the map of today's stage – some technical sections but a few places to put the power down, too.

Moriarty coming home to set the first time of the day...

He finishes with a 6:38 to lead the standings.

Arkea-Samsic man Kevin Ledanois goes four seconds quicker.

Bettiol, meanwhile, smashes that time to go quickest with 6:19.

Of course, today is the first time we'll see the new team kits of 2023 in action.

Bettiol of EF and Dries Devenyns of Soudal-QuickStep among the early runners showing off their new threads.

These are the 2023 team kits

Aussie rider Cameron Scott sets off to make his Bahrain Victorious debut.

Bettiol's 6:19 still the quickest time so far by some 12 seconds.

Leo Hayter, Chris Froome, Luke Durbridge, Caleb Ewan among the next batch of starters here.

There are some spots of rain falling out on course. Not what you might expect from the Tour Down Under!

A 6:44 for Dries Devenyns sees him go ninth quickest. Now it's time for Leo Hayter to make his WorldTour debut.

21-year-old Hayter is the U23 Giro d'Italia champion and also the British U23 time trial champion. One to watch far beyond today, that's for sure.

Chris Froome kicks off his ride in Israel-Premier Tech's bright new kit. It's the first race day outside the WorldTour for the team.

Rain on the camera lens and wet roads out on course now. This might just have a big effect on the times today as Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AlUla) tentatively rolls off.

It's only coming down heavier now as more and more riders roll down the start ramp. Not ideal at all.

Trek-Segafredo's Emils Liepins rolls home with a bent handlebar and some cuts and grazes. It looks like the Latvian is the first crash victim of the 2023 WorldTour.

A 6:43 for Leo Hayter. We're seeing times up around the seven-minute mark with the recent finishers.

Bettiol's 6:19 looks a long way away in these wet conditions...

Hayter shakes his head as he crosses the finish line. The rain is coming down hard now.

Caleb Ewan among the riders out on course at the moment. He's riding for the Australian national team here.

Bettiol was the fourth man off today and he might've played a blinder here with the rain pouring down after he finished his ride. 

Will anybody get close to that 6:19 time today?

A 7:16 for Froome at the finish line.

A 7:12 for Durbridge. He was second in the time trial at the recent Australian Nationals but looked like he wasn't taking any risks today.

The top three so far...

1 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost 0:06:19

2 Samuel Gaze (NZl) Alpecin-Deceuninck 0:06:30

3 Hugo Page (Fra) Intermarche-Circus-Wanty 0:06:31

As the men's Tour Down Under gets underway in these awful conditions, the three-stage Women's Tour Down Under has just finished.

Check out our report on the final stage of action here

EF's new signing for 2023, Mikkel Honore, has taken a spill and it looks like Chris Hamilton of DSM has fallen on the same corner...

Sjoerd Bax's recent time of 6:50 is only the second of the last 13 under seven minutes.

Luis Leon Sanchez, winner of this race in 2005, gets underway back in Astana colours.

Now 39, he beat Lotto-Dstny DS Allan Davies and Tour Down Under race director Stuart O'Grady to win this race all those years ago.

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Time of 6:40 from Sven Erik Bystrom and Michael Gogl are the best we've seen in a while...

Only good for ninth and 10th, though.

Simon Yates, George Bennett, Mattia Cattaneo among the next batch of starters.

Sanchez sneaks in under seven minutes with a time of 6:59.

Now Simon Yates rolls down the start ramp in the new look Jayco-AlUla kit. This team is, of course, formerly known as BikeExchange-Jayco.

A 6:49 for Natnael Tesfatsion – not a bad way to kick off his time at Trek-Segafredo after making the switch from Androni Giocattoli.

Nobody has come within 20 seconds of Alberto Bettiol's time since the rain started falling.

More riders getting in under seven minutes now, though. Kim Heiduk, Timo Roosen, and Taj Jones all following Tesfatsion in getting under that time. 

A few riders heeding this road marking out on the course today in these dismal conditions...

A 6:45 for Yates as he kicks off his race. Not a bad time in the wet.

Yates the latest man to shake his head as he crosses the finish line.

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A time of 6:54 for George Bennett.

Australians Matthew Dinham (Groupama-FDJ) and Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Deceuncink) head off to make their pro debuts.

And now Mattia Cattaneo starts his ride.

Another crash on that same corner late on the course and it's another EF rider, American Sean Quinn.

Our 50th starter has rolled down the ramp – Andre Carvalho of Cofidis.

Yet another crash on that same late corner. It's Plowright, who slides out before getting back up swiftly.

He still crosses the line at under seven minutes, though. 6:57 for him.

And Mattia Cattaneo also puts in a decent time with a 6:49.

Bettiol's leading time saw him race around the course with a speed of 52.2kph.

Only three others have broken the 50kph barrier, and few have even managed to hit 49kph since the rain started.

Ben Swift, Jai Hindley, two-time winner Daryl Impey among the latest starters.

Hindley kicks off his race with a time of 7:03.

A shot of Sean Quinn getting back up after crashing during his run earlier on.

The rain has stopped but it's still wet out on course and times aren't really coming down.

Marc Hirschi crosses the line with a time of 6:47. That's the best ride for a while though he's only 17th quickest so far.

Geraint Thomas the next major name to start in seven minutes.

WIth the puppy paw rules not applying today, we've seen riders set off with their shifters turned in. Pello Bilbao, who has just set off, has taken it to another level, though.

His shifters are pushed inwards almost as far as possible and the Spaniard gets super-aero straight away.

Bilbao with a time of 4:53 at the checkpoint to go ninth quickest. That's the best time there in about 40 minutes.

A look at Bilbao in his aero tuck out on course. Check out those shifters!

Now Geraint Thomas starts his ride.

6:38 for Bilbao! He's eighth quickest.

That's the best time set since the rain started. The top seven times so far were set by seven of the first eight men to set off.

James Moriarty, who set off first, set a time of 6:38, fractionally slower than Bilbao.

Michael Matthews sets off.

A 7:03 for Thomas, who didn't look like he was taking massive risks today.

Meanwhile, Matthews has flown around the course. The Australian sets a time of 6:33 to go fourth fastest!!

No other major favourites out on course at the moment.

Around 50 riders left to start their runs now. Michael Storer is out on course now.

A look at Michael Matthews during his impressive ride earlier on.

Meanwhile, Storer crosses the line with a time of 7:08.

Australian road champion Luke Plapp kicks off his race.

He's out there with Jos Van Emden, Max Schachmann, and Simon Clarke at the moment.

Trek-Segafredo's second-year pro Marc Brustenga puts in a nice ride to go eighth fastest with a time of 6:37.

Michael Storer getting aero during his run.

Plapp ends up in 12th with a time of 6:39.

Riders are getting well under the seven-minute mark now with the rain having stopped and the roads slowly drying up.

Brustenga and Matthews the only riders to break into the top 10 since the rain.

Now another lull in proceedings as we wait for more big guns to take the start late on.

Marc Brustenga, who has put in one of the more impressive rides on the drying course.

Ben O'Connor sets off. Rohan Dennis and Magnus Sheffield are setting off next. 

If Dennis doesn't beat Bettiol's time then you sense nobody else will be able to.

4:50 for Dennis at the checkpoint. That's good for seventh quickest...

Jay Vine starting shortly in his new UAE Team Emirates colours.

Sheffield quicker than Dennis at the checkpoint. The American's time of 4:44 is still five seconds down on Bettiol, though.

Seventh place for Dennis as he finishes with a time of 6:36.

And Sheffield goes even quicker. He couldn't beat Bettiol either, though, and he goes second with a time of 6:27.

Australian TT champion Jay Vine is out on course now. Can he beat Bettiol?

British TT champion Ethan Hayter will be heading out soon as well...

A shot of Rohan Dennis during his run.

Vine has set a time of 4:50 at the checkpoint. Ninth quickest.

His fellow Australians Miles Scotson and Kaden Groves are setting off now.

6:33 at the finish for Vine, good for sixth place.

DSM's Marius Mayrhofer with a nice start to go sixth at the checkpoint.

A look at our leader Alberto Bettiol, who has been in the hot seat for two hours now.

The times are dropping now. Julius Johansen third at the checkpoint, Scotson seventh.

6:29 for Johansen puts him in third!

Scotson 10th at 6:35.

Johansen with a good time today on the drying roads.

Meanwhile Kaden Groves has flown around the course to put in a time of 6:30 for fourth place. It's his first race day for his new team Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Gianni Moscon is next to roll down the ramp. Ethan Hayter a few minutes later.

Still nobody is any closer to Bettiol than Sheffield at eight seconds.

Hayter sets off. He should be the last man who could beat Bettiol's time today.

At the checkpoint, Hayter puts in a time of only 4:52. 13 seconds down...

It's Bettiol's to lose now.

Shane Archbold, Corbin Strong, and Chris Harper still out on course too.

Tim van Dijke (Jumbo-Visma) crashes on that infamous late corner.

Some more spots of rain on the camera lens now. The rain maybe picking back up late on.

Bettiol still sat in that uncomfortable looking chair which he's occupied for two hours now. He's all set for the first ochre jersey of the race!

14th place for Strong and 22nd for Harper.

Alberto Bettiol has won the stage!

Here's what Bettiol had to say after his win.

"I'm really happy and I feel really lucky at the same time. I knew I could do well but not to win. The weather of Australia helped me. I really appreciate the help of all my team today. I just had to pedal full gas for six-and-a-half minutes.

"The strategy was a bit different. I asked the sporting director to start first because I think I had enough experience. In the end I won. It's a surprise and I'm really happy. There's not a lot of strategy. You have to learn the corners but sometimes you have to be lucky.

"I like this race and I'll be really proud to wear the jersey of the Tour Down Under tomorrow morning. It's a prologue and the real race starts tomorrow."

Alberto Bettiol wins a wet prologue at the Tour Down Under

Italian takes advantage of early dry roads to set an unbeatable time in Adelaide

Bettiol takes the plaudits on the podium as the first Tour Down Under stage winner in three years.

He's also in the ochre leader's jersey tonight with a nice gap to second place.

Magnus Sheffield, meanwhile, is in the best young rider's jersey.

We'll have plenty of news and reaction coming from reporters Simone Giuliani and Stephen Farrand in Australia as well a tech gallery coming up...

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Tour de France 2024 Betting Favourites

Pro Cycling Bets

Well the betting odds for the 2024 Tour de France dropped a few days ago, and while we highly don't recommend locking your money up for a year and letting it get ravaged by inflation we feel we should at least talk about them.

They're expecting Vingegaard to show up, but it's still debatable that he will, and he might instead try the Giro for a change. Gall at 41.00 is short in our opinion. Yes he might very well transition over the winter, build an incredible TT, and perform remarkably as a GC rider, but he still has the "recency" effect of being good. We'd wait for a race or event where he performs poorly at to take advantage of that good ol' adage - buy low, sell high.

When it comes to riders, almost never buy in if the rider is "hot" after recent stellar performances. Even Gall. Who we have a soft spot for.

We could see a Derek Gee (751.00) transition from being a strong rouleur rider to an impressive GC contender (but if you really pressed us - we think he'll stay as a strong stage hunter). But even at those odds, it's still too far out for us to place any money down. We'll save any bets until at least January when the transfer market and off season has calmed down. The course profile of the Tour will also be out by then.

Finally, it's interesting they don't have certain riders like a Magnus Sheffield, who may very well translate into having a breakout 2024 in terms of general classification performances.

Want more analysis of the caveats of professional cycling? Want to learn about cycling race tactics with play by play diagrams? Grab a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Modern Cycling .

Tour Down Under 2023: Route, stages, and startlist guide

Taking a look at all the stages for both the men's and women's Australian race

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Key Information

Where: Adelaide, South Australia

When: 14 January (Schwalbe Classic men's and women's)

Women's TDU , 15-17 January Men's TDU , 17-22 January

Rank: UCI WorldTour (men's and women's)

Distance: 672 kilometres (men's) 293 kilometres (women's)

Returning to the WorldTour after a two-year absence, the Tour Down Under lifts the curtain on the WorldTour season once more. Multiple big name riders in both the men’s and women’s peloton will be heading to Australia for the stage-race including the recently crowned Australian national road champion Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) and Grace Brown (FDJ Suez). 

Both the men’s and women’s action will begin with the Schwalbe Classic, an evening criterium on Saturday 14 January. However the criterium will have no say in the overall general classification battle. 

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The men’s race will get underway on Tuesday 17 January with a 5.5 kilometre prologue, whereas the women’s race will begin the day after the criterium on Sunday 15 January with a flat 110.4 kilometre stage between Glenelg and Aldinga. 

Men's Tour Down Under: Stages, 17-22 January

Luke Plapp will be flying the flag for Australia at this years race

The route for the 2023 men's Tour Down Under has something for everyone. There will be plenty of action in the depths of the Adelaide hills as well as other fast and furious sprint stages which should make for an excellent opener to the WorldTour season. Bringing the race back without its famous Willunga Hill climb was always going to be a brave decision, although race director Stuart O'Grady explained when presenting the 2023 route that he believes it was important to bring some "fresh faces" into the Australian stage race. 

"I think it's important to bring some new, fresh places into the Tour Down Under,” O'Grady said. "I was brought in to bring in some new innovations, some new exciting parcours and also didn't want just the same old kind of stages where everybody knows exactly what's going to happen. The new final stage brings in a lot of excitement. It's a short stage, it's aggressive, it's more central to Adelaide, so I'm guessing more and more people will get there.”

Prologue: Adelaide - Adelaide, 5.5 km

The evening prologue on Tuesday 17 January follows a 5.5 kilometre course through the Adelaide Parks and past the Adelaide Oval cricket ground in what promises to be a fast and furious affair. Unusually, the riders will have to use their road race bikes due to logistical issues with bringing all of their equipment over to Australia for the race. It's also the first time a prologue has been incorporated into the race, with race organisers clearly hoping that Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma), home favourite and time trial expert, can pull off the win and the early race lead.

Stage One: Tanunda - Tanunda, 149.9 km, Hilly

The first road stage of the 2023 men's race covers a 149.9 kilometre circuit around the city of Tanunda and and the Barossa wine area. It also features four smaller circuits which involve the Menglers Hill climb, making for a total of 2,050 metres of elevation gain. Menglers Hill isn't so challenging that the best sprinters in the world won't get over it, meaning that the likes of Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) could still be in contention towards the stage finale. 

Otherwise, a rider of the likes of Plapp could look to use the final climb with just 10 kilometres to go as a launch pad for a solo move to the finish. 

Stage Two: Brighton - Victor Harbour, 154.8 km, Hilly

The longest stage of this year's edition, stage two from Brighton to Victor Harbour is all about the coast. Riders will get to enjoy the spectacular coastline for the first portion of the route before things ramp up in the stage climax. 

The final 60 kilometres involve two challenging, categorised ascents although the flat run in could also mean a day for the sprinters once more. In 2020, Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) grabbed the victory. Ewan will be another name to watch or a rider like EF Education-EasyPost's Alberto Bettiol. The Italian can more than hold his own on short, punchy climbs and packs a devilish fast finish.

Stage Three: Norwood - Campbell Town, 116.8 km, Hilly

Stage three to Campbelltown is short but will pack a mean punch with three of Adelaide's toughest hills roped into the equation. Norton Summit, Checkers Hill and Corkscrew Road are all on the menu, providing plenty of staging posts for the high profile overall contenders to make their moves. Corkscrew Road features challenging pitches of 6.8% average gradient, with one section ramping up to more than 9%. Perhaps homegrown hero and Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) will look to test his early season form on the hills of Adelaide.  

Stage Four: Port Willunga - Willunga Township, 133.2 km, Flat

Normally on a stage in and around Willunga, you would expect the infamous Willunga Hill to feature somewhere in the route but this year's race misses out the legendary climb. Stage four gets underway overlooking the beach and ends in Willunga Township after 133 kilometres of mainly rolling, undulating roads. Stage four is definitely a day for the sprinters once more before the race reaches its finale on Mount Lofty the day after. 

Stage Five: Unley - Mount Lofty, 122.5 km, Hilly

Stage five to Mount Lofty will make for a spectacular finish to the 2023 edition of the race. The stage is just 112.5 kilometres long but features five ascents of Mount Lofty, which is almost certainly going to provide drama on the races final day in the heart of the Adelaide Hills. All four ascents of the devilish climb will make for more than 3,000 metres of climbing. The whole climb is 2.6 kilometres long with an average gradient of 7%. At two and then one kilometre to go there are two much more severe, steeper sections which is where the GC favourites will be expected to attack. Many talented climbers feature on the expected start list which should make for a thrilling and aggressive stage five to end the race. 

WOMEN'S TOUR DOWN UNDER: STAGES, 15-17 JANUARY

FDJ-Suez's Grace Brown will be a strong favourite for the women's race

Stage One: Glenelg - Aldinga, 110.4 km, Flat

The opening day of the women's race is a relatively flat affair along the South Australian coastline. 

With just one categorised climb on the menu, the category four Chaffey's climb, it promises to be a fast run into the finish which could provide an opportunity for the likes of Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) to start as they mean to go on, with an opening day stage victory. 

Stage Two: Birdwood to Uraidla, 90 km, Hilly 

Stage two will be a punchy affair through the Adelaide hills, a reverse of the route taken in stage five of the men's race. The women will ascend the back of the Mount Lofty climb which is certainly set to cause some major splits in the bunch. 

If after day one Brown has taken an early lead in the GC, she will have to be well on her guard to prevent climbing experts like Brodie Chapman (Trek-Segafredo) from wrestling the overall lead from her grasp. 

Stage Three: Adelaide - Campbelltown, 93.2 km, Hilly

The grand finale for this year's women's Tour Down Under will be one for the climbers with more than 1,500 metres of elevation on offer. 

Corkscrew Road - one of the toughest climbs in the Adelaide hills - will play a starring role on the races final day and will more than likely cause some major splits. 

With sections of up to 24.4% gradients, the Corkscrew will provide a menacing test and potentially the perfect setting for the overall leader to launch an attack, and claim a final day stage win to cement their advantage. 

MEN'S START LIST

 Jayco-AIUla

Michael Matthews  (AUS) Simon Yates (GBR) Luke Durbridge (AUS) Lucas Hamilton (AUS) Michael Hepburn (AUS) Chris Harper (AUS) Campbell Stewart (NZA)

AG2R-Citroën

Ben O'Connor (AUS) Alex Baudin (FRA) Dorian Godon (FRA) Paul Lapeira (FRA) Nans Peters (FRA) Michael Schar (SWI) Damian Touze (FRA)

Arkéa-Samsic

Ewen Costiou (FRA) Mathis Le Berre (FRA) Elie Gesbert (FRA) Hugo Hofstetter (FRA) Kevin Ledanois (FRA) Łukasz Owsian (POL) Alessandro Verre (ITA

Astana Qazaqstan

Luis Leon Sanchez (SPA) Manuele Boaro (ITA) Leonardo Basso (ITA) Fabio Felline (ITA) Dmitriy Gruzdev (KAZ) Martin Laas (EST) Gianni Moscon (ITA)

Bahrain-Victorious

Pello Bilbao (SPA) Nikias Arndt (GER) Kamil Gradek (POL) Hermann Pernsteiner (AU) Cameron Scott (AUS) Jasha Sutterlin (GER)

Trek-Segafredo

Tony Gallopin (FRA) Filippo Baroncini (ITA) Marc Brustenga (SPA) Asbjorn Hellemose (DEN) Emils Liepins (LAT) Natnael Tesfazion (ERI) Antonio Tiberi (ITA)

Bryan Coquard (FRA) Francois Bidard (FRA) Davide Cimolai (ITA) Wesley Kreder (NED) Victor Lafay (FRA) Alexis Renard (FRA) Harrison Wood (FRA)

Soudal Quick-Step

Mattia Cattaneo (ITA) Josef Cerny (CZA) Dries Devenyns (BEL) James Knox (GBR) Mauro Schmid (SWI) Jannik Steimle (GER) Martin Svrcek (CZA)

Alpecin-Deceuninck

Kaden Groves (AUS) Jenson Plowright (AUS) Robert Stannard (AUS) Samuel Gayze (NZA) Senne Leysen (BEL) Oscar Riesebeek (NED) Michael Gogl (AUS)

Groupama-FDJ

Michael Storer (AUS) Miles Scotson (AUS) Lorenzo Germani (ITA) Reuben Thompson (NZA) Laurence Pithie (NZA) Paul Penhoet (FRA) Rudy Molard (FRA)

Ineos Grenadiers

Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ethan Hayter (GBR) Kim Heiduk (GER) Luke Plapp (AUS) Magnus Sheffield (USA) Ben Swift (GBR)

Intermarche-Circus-Wanty

Sven Erik Bystøom (NOR) Julius Johansen (DEN) Hugo Page (FRA) Gerben Thijssen (BEL) Taco van der Hoorn (NED) Boy Van Poppel (NED) Dion Smith (NZA)

Jumbo-Visma

Rohan Dennis (AUS) Robert Gesink (NED) Lennard Hofstede (NED) Timo Roosen (NED) Milan Vader (NED) Timo van Dijke (NED) Jos van Emden (NED)

Gorka Izaguirre (SPA) Imanol Erviti (SPA) Johan Jacobs (SWI) Oscar Rodriguez (SPA) Ivan Romeo (SPA) Sergio Samitier (SPA) Luis Guillermo Mas (SPA)

Chris Hamilton (AUS) Matt Dinham (AUS) Patrick Bevin (NZA) Romain Combaud (FRA) Tim Naberman (NED) Marius Mayrhofer (GER) Martijn Tusveld (NED)

UAE Team Emirates

Jay Vine (AUS) George Bennett (NZA) Marc Hirschi (SWI) Sjoerd Bax (NED) Alessandro Covi (ITA) Michael Vink (NZA) Finn Fisher-Black (NZA)

EF Education-EasyPost Alberto Bettiol (ITA) Mikkel Honoré (DEN) Jens Keukeleire (BEL) Sean Quinn (USA) Jonas Rutsch (GER) Thomas Scully (NZA) Lukasz Wisniowski (POL)

Bora-Hansgrohe

Jai Hindley (AUS) Marco Haller (AUS) Shane Archbold (NZA) Luis-Joe Luhrs (GER) Jordi Meeus (BEL) Max Schachmann (GER) Giovanni Aleotti (ITA)

Israel Premier-Tech

Chris Froome (GBR) Daryl Impey (RZA) Simon Clarke (AUS) Corbin Strong (NZA) Taj Jones (AUS) Sebastian Berwick (AUS) Derek Gee (CAN)

Australian National Team

Caleb Ewan (AUS) Jarrad Drizners (AUS) Graeme Frislie (AUS) Connor Leahy (AUS) Zac Marriage (AUS) James Moriarty (AUS) Liam Walsh (AUS)

WOMEN'S START LIST

Jayco- AIUla Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) Alex Manly (AUS) Amber Pate (AUS) Georgia Baker (AUS) Georgia Howe (AUS) Jessica Allen (AUS)

Amanda Spratt (AUS) Lauretta Hanson (AUS) Brodie Chapman (AUS) Tayler Wiles (USA) Lisa Klein (GER) Ilaria Sanguineti (ITA)

Grace Brown (AUS) Loes Adegeest (NED) Clara Copponi (FRA) Eugenie Duval (FRA) Victorie Guilman (FRA) Gladys Verhulst (FRA)

Human Powered Health

Lily Williams (USA) Daria Pikulik (POL) Antri Christoforou (GRE) Kaia Schmid (USA) Henrietta Christie (NZA) Nina Buijsman (NED)

Israel Premier Tech Roland

Caroline Baur (SWI) Silvia Magri (ITA) Mia Griffin (IRE) Thi That N'Guyen (VIE) Claire Steels (GBR) Elena Pirrone (ITA)

EF Education-Tibco-SVB

Lauren Stephens (USA) Emma Langley (USA) Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) Abigail Smith (GBR) Georgia Williams (NZA)

COOP-Hitec Products

Mari Mohr (NOR) Josie Nelson (GBR) Tiril Jorgenson (NOR) Sylvia Swinkels (NED) Kerry Jonker (RZA) Georgia Danford (NZA)

ZAAF Cycling

Danielle De Francesco (AUS) Elizabeth Stannard (AUS) Nikola Noskova (CZA) Michaela Drummond (NZA) Debora Silvestri (ITA) Maggie Coles-Lyster (CAN)

ARA Skip Capital

Sophie Edwards (AUS) Chloe Moran (AUS) Isabelle Carnes (AUS) Alex Martin-Wallace (AUS) Georgia Whitehouse (AUS) Rachael Wales (AUS)

Emily Watts (AUS) Gina Ricardo (AUS) Jessica Pratt (AUS) Keely Bennett (AUS) Lillee Pollock (AUS) Mia Hayden (AUS)

Nicole Frain (AUS) Rachel Neylan (AUS) Josie Talbot (AUS) Anya Louw (AUS) Haylee Fuller (AUS) Alli Anderson (AUS)

New Zealand National Team

Ally Wollaston (NZA) Bryony Botha (NZA) Ella Wyllie (NZA) Prudence Fowler (NZA) Rylee McMullen (NZA) Annamarie Lipp (NZA)

St Michel - Mavic

Roxane Fournier (FRA) Coralie Demay (FRA) Simone Boilard (CAN) Dilyxine Miermont (FRA) Sandrine Bideau (FRA) Camille Fahy (FRA)

HOW TO WATCH

We've produced a full guide detailing how to watch all of the action from the first WorldTour races of the season. Depending on where you are in the world, you may want to consider downloading an ExpressVPN to ensure you can gain access to your home broadcaster. 

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Tom has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine. 

Since joining the team, he has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the World Championships in Glasgow. He has also covered races elsewhere across the world. 

As well as on the ground reporting, Tom writes race reports from the men's and women's WorldTour and helps with coverage of UK domestic cycling. 

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By Adam Becket Published 23 January 24

Stevie Williams’ victory at the Tour Down Under was just the latest breakthrough ride by a Briton, although there might not be a home UCI stage race to perform at soon

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