The WorldTour buzz ramps up for the Tour Down Below, the primary race of the 2024 collection and the primary likelihood for achievement for the 140 riders on the beginning checklist. Some shall be out for stage wins, some out for the overall classification, whereas others will simply be glad to get some race days of their legs.
The Tour Down Below gala begins with the Down Below Traditional, an hour-long criterium in Adelaide and invariably one for the sprinters. The stage race correct will get underway on Tuesday with the primary of six difficult phases, culminating in two uphill finishes first on Willunga Hill after which the finale on Mount Lofty.
All 18 of the WorldTour groups can have riders on the road, as is required by the UCI, with the Israel-Premier Tech ProTeam and the Australian Nationwide Staff filling out the beginning checklist.
Among the riders’ kind is thought after the Australian Highway Championships, whereas others have been busy coaching.
One factor is definite: there shall be a brand new champion on the Tour Down Below, as 2023 winner Jay Vine will not be firstly, and all the earlier winners have retired.
Cyclingnews dug into the beginning checklist and got here up with 9 riders to look at – some apparent, some not a lot – on the Tour Down Below from January 16 by means of 21.
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the Tour Down Below and Ladies’s Tour Down Below, together with reporting from Australia, breaking information and evaluation. Discover out extra.
Luke Plapp & Simon Yates
Luke Plapp and Simon Yates come as a package deal deal because the Jayco AlUla co-leaders of the house group for the Tour Down Below. Plapp has been on fireplace since becoming a member of from Ineos Grenadiers, sweeping each the Australian street race and time trial nationwide titles. He gained the street race final 12 months earlier than not overly that includes on the stage race, however his performances final week appeared a distinct beast.
Behind him, he’ll even have a really sturdy group if he’s the principle GC possibility, however Yates was second final season and gained the ultimate stage to Mount Lofty, which he’ll be glad to see once more on stage 6. Yates maintains a powerful degree all through the season, so anticipate an in-form model of the Brit licking his lips on the prospect of a double ascent up Willingu Hill (3.4km at 7.4%) on stage 5.
The pair may work properly in tandem with Plapp launching early and utilising his time trial talents to remain up the street whereas Yates marks the strikes out behind, however they may even have Chris Harper at their disposal, who’s a greater than succesful climbing domestique. Harper and Plapp attacked collectively 100km from the end on the nationwide street race championships to take a 1-2 for Jayco.
Totally different guises of Jayco AlUla have been the group to look at in lots of Excursions Down Below passed by, and 2024 ought to be no totally different with a group constructed round three of their large stars.
Filippo Ganna
Usually the Tour Down Below would not be a race for a former time trial world champion like Filippo Ganna – there is not a time trial, the dash phases are principally geared towards pure sprinters and the climbers’ phases are selective.
Nonetheless, Ganna remodeled from a time trialist and super-domestique right into a vicious stage-hunter and one-day racer who can dash in opposition to the pure sprinters and out-climb lots of the pure climbers when he needs.
From the Alto Colorado within the Vuelta a San Juan, the place he was second to Miguel Angel Lopez, to the Vuelta a España, the place we noticed him going up in opposition to factors classification winner Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Ganna confirmed in 2023 that he may do all of it.
With the Olympic Video games this 12 months and a give attention to each the observe and street, it is unsure how Ganna shall be entering into January. If he is firing, few riders can beat him, particularly on the extra selective dash phases just like the opening stage in Tanuda with Mengiers Hill 13.5km earlier than the road, stage 2 to Lobethal with a brief kicker within the closing 5km.
Caleb Ewan
Caleb Ewan discovered made a profitable begin in his return to dwelling group Jayco AlUla, taking the win within the elite males’s Australian criterium championships. He’ll be trying to proceed that kind into the Tour Down Below and reignite his profession after his least profitable full season since turning skilled that noticed him handle just one professional win.
There have been no stage wins for Ewan on the TDU in 2023 however he shall be spurred on by the 9 earlier victories he’s achieved there. Ewan was racing with a gaggle of very proficient younger riders for the Australian nationwide group final 12 months, however they had been no WorldTour-level leadout which left him sprinting from deep within the pack.
He’ll be delivered within the sprints by a powerful lineup together with Kelland O’Brien, Michael Hepburn and Campbell Stewart. The GC aspect of Jayco AlUla’s group will characteristic Simon Yates, Chris Harper and newly topped Australian ITT champion Luke Plapp, who may additionally assist in the run right into a dash. Ewan ought to be on prime kind with prime assist in entrance of the house crowds.
Julian Alaphilippe
A decade in the past, Julian Alaphilippe began his first WorldTour season with Soudal QuickStep on the Tour Down Below. Now he returns to the race for the primary time since then with a extremely embellished palmarès that has seen him twice turn out to be World Champion, take a Monument victory and lightweight up the Tour de France.
Alaphilippe is the headline title on the starlist however has struggled with kind up to now few seasons as a result of nasty crashes. He confirmed indicators of his panache-personified finest with a win on the Dauphiné, however is hoping to return to his sensible finest forward of the Spring Classics.
He gained’t race the Tour de France this 12 months as they Belgian squad goes all in for Remco Evenepoel, however the Frenchman will as an alternative make his Giro d’Italia debut to chase phases. He’s had nice success in Italy earlier than having gained Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche. With these focuses, it’s unknown how near his finest he’ll be in Australia however anticipate thrilling racing nonetheless.
Corbin Sturdy
New Zealander Corbin Sturdy is starting to come back into his personal within the WorldTour after two seasons with Israel-Premier Tech. The 23-year-old gained the opening stage of the Tour of Luxembourg and was second on the GP Québec and Circuit Franco-Belge – all races that featured an uphill dash end.
The previous factors race world champion’s expertise will shine on the hilly first phases.
Sturdy has the advantage of spending the winter within the neighborhood and never having to make the long-haul flight like his European friends and in addition not having an enormous goal on his again. He is prepared for a breakthrough season, and Tour Down Below would possibly simply be the beginning.
Phil Bauhaus
Phil Bauhaus held off a charging Ewan and claimed stage 1 in final 12 months’s race with a strong dash to the road into Tanunda, which he’ll be glad to see once more options on the route as the beginning and end level of the opening stage.
The German quick man is sensible in chaotic finishes, so with out the full-strength lead-out trains that you could be see at Grand Excursions, his means to choose the proper traces and wheels is healthier highlighted. His win in Australia was his solely victory for the season, however he is among the most constant sprinters within the peloton and took prime fives on the Tour de France, UAE Tour and Tirreno Adiratico.
Bahrain Victorious mentioned of their press launch that he’s in even higher kind than final season, so anticipate to see his explosive energy. The final man for Bauhaus shall be one in all their two Australians driving at dwelling, Cameron Scott.
Diego Ulissi
UAE Staff Emirates’ Diego Ulissi has an extended historical past with the Tour Down Below, having raced in six editions beginning in 2014. He is landed on the general podium twice – coming second in 2020 and third general in his debut.
The Italian has a mix of talent units – much less pure energy than the pure sprinters, extra punch uphill than most, and is a tactically astute racer.
Ulissi has however one stage win within the Tour Down Below for all of his makes an attempt, on the stage to Stirling in 2014, and search for him to be on the head of affairs on any stage, particularly the ultimate one which passes by means of Stirling en path to Mount Lofty.
Sam Welsford
One other rider from Down Below prepared for a breakout season is Bora-Hansgrohe newcomer Sam Welsford, who spent the previous two years at DSM.
Welsford gained a stage of the Renewi Tour, beating Jumbo-Visma’s dominant sprinter Olav Kooij in addition to two phases of the Vuelta a San Juan and the GP Criquielion and a second place to Jasper Philipsen on the Scheldeprijs final season.
Welsford was third within the Australian criterium championships so he is received velocity in his legs and a group with skilled riders together with fellow sprinter Danny van Poppel. Stage 4 to Port Elliot is undoubtedly circled in his roadbook.
