Australia also inaugurates the men's WorldTour
The road season is here, and as tradition dictates, it begins in Australia. Just as the women's Tour Down Under kicked off the WWT this Friday, the men's WorldTour also starts at the Tour Down Under, in this case during the early hours of Monday to Tuesday, European time.
Route
The men's Tour Down Under consists of 6 stages, of which the first, second, and sixth are likely to end in a sprint. GC will be decided on the hilly third stage and, especially, on the fifth stage, where riders will ascend Willunga Hill (3.3 km at 7.3%) twice. The remaining fourth stage features a finish on an intriguing terrain, promising an open outcome where we might see a breakaway, a group of favorites, or even another sprint make it to the line.
Favorites
Last year’s winner Stephen Williams (400) leads the list of puncheurs who could aim for the general classification. Jay Vine (600), Jonathan Narvaez (400), Corbin Strong (600), Luke Plapp (600), Michael Woods (600), Finn Fisher-Black (400), Oscar Onley (600), Sergio Higuita (400), Andrea Bagioli (400), and Magnus Sheffield (600) are also strong contenders.
For sprint finishes, Phil Bauhaus (800), Bryan Coquard (800), Sam Welsford (400), Danny Van Poppel (600), Corbin Strong (600), Tobias Lund Andersen (400), Arne Marit (400), Paul Lapeira (200), and Laurence Pithie (400) are some of the fastest riders on paper.
Photo: © Tour Down Under