Now that the new year has begun, we don’t have to wait much longer for the first road races of 2026. In less than three weeks, the season’s first WorldTour race will kick off with the Santos Tour Down Under (January 20-25). And the provisional start list of the Australian stage race below features some interesting names.
Browsing through the provisional participants list, we come across many well-known names. As usual, UAE Emirates XRG brings a true star line-up to the start, including defending champion Jhonathan Narváez, Adam Yates, and Jay Vine, the most recent Australian winner of the Tour Down Under.
However, the competition should not be underestimated. Bahrain Victorious relies on Santiago Buitrago, Lotto-Intermarché can aim for a strong overall result with Lennert Van Eetvelt, Ben O'Connor is a very dangerous competitor for Jayco AlUla, NSN Cycling hopes for a breakout performance from Corbin Strong, and then there’s the all-rounder Matthew Brennan representing Visma | Lease a Bike.
Keep an eye on the British sensation Matthew Brennan – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
In the Tour Down Under, the first showdown among the sprinters is always something to watch. With Dutch champion Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Sam Welsford (INEOS Grenadiers), Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Emirates), Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM), Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek), and Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL), the flatter stages also promise to be highly exciting.
The mentioned riders will face a ‘classic’ Tour Down Under route. For only the second time in the race’s history, it starts with a prologue, followed by several flat and hilly stages. Stage four is the queen stage, featuring the iconic Willunga Hill. This climb must be tackled three times in one day for the first time ever.
