Tour Down Under route announced as part of 2022 festival of cycling

The 2022 Tour Down Under will again be run as a National Road Series (NRS) race, with the road racing joining many other disciplines as part of an expanded festival of events in Adelaide.

Luke Durbridge and Cameron Meyer in action for Team BikeExchange at the Santos Festival of Cycling. Source: Velo

Kicking off on Friday 21 January with the Adelaide Track League event at Adelaide Superdome, the nine-day program offers more than 25 events and highlights multiple cycling disciplines including road, track, BMX, mountain biking, para-cycling, cyclo-cross, duathlon, pedal prix and festival activities.

The program will be bookended by track racing, and will act as the return to racing for the Aussie Sprint team who will be starting their quest for Olympic success in Paris and the best sprinters from all around the country.

The jewel in the crown has always been the Tour Down Under, the race around which the festival and other events have grown over recent years. It won't be known officially as the Tour Down Under this year, rather run as the Santos Festival of Cycling road race, and won't be run at WorldTour level either, instead as a national level event.

There will be three stages in the Men’s and Women’s races this year, travelling through South Australia’s picturesque Barossa, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula regions as Australia’s elite domestic cyclists battle for supremacy. Richie Porte (INEOS Grenadiers) and Australian WorldTour men's and women's squads for Team BikeExchange were the big drawcards last year, with no confirmation as yet whether on the details of whether the professionals will be lured back for the event.  

The women will race from January 23-25, with the men's race from 27-29, concluding on Willunga Hill, which the women won't tackle this year.

Women's Stage 1

The picturesque 86.1km stage is taking place in the historic Barossa region, with both towns having hosted starts and finishes multiple times over recent editions.

This stage is one for the sprinters, but they’ll have to grit their teeth and hang on during the deceptively tough Whispering Wall climb which is returning to the race for the first time in a few years.

Women's Stage 1, Tour Down Under 2022, Festival of Cycling Source: Santos Festival of Cycling

Women's Stage 2

Testing the legs early in the race, there’s a long climb early up Peters Creek Road through the Kuitpo Forest before descending into the Mt Barker area.

This stage will see riders trekking along 2.8-kilometre section of dirt and gravel through gumtrees and pine forests as it climbs towards the QOM at Prospect Hill.

Featuring a feed zone at the Meadows bakery - a favourite for cyclists -and a Sprint in Echunga, the race enters the most technical section of the day on its way to Hahndorf, the oldest German settlement in Australia and a popular tourist destination.

The course undulates and turns its way back towards the finish line with another opportunity for the sprinters to finish strong in Echunga.

Women's Stage 2, Tour Down Under 2022, Festival of Cycling Source: Santos Festival of Cycling

Women's Stage 3

For the first time, the women will start and finish in Lobethal for this final 86.9km stage.

Stage 3 is the longest stage of the race and will require both skill and concentration as it features two unpaved sections, two sprints, and a final challenging climb only two kilometres from the finish.

This stage has the capacity to turn the general classification upside down as it brings into play elements of uncertainty particularly with the inclusion of two gravel sections.

Women's Stage 3, Tour Down Under 2022, Festival of Cycling Source: Santos Festival of Cycling

Men's Stage 1

Stage 1 from Stirling to Lobethal is a fantastic opening stage which will see the riders get off to a speedy start as they work their way through some great Adelaide Hills roads before embarking on an undulating final loop around Lobethal, with the finale likely to be a battle between the punchers and the sprint teams.

Men's Stage 1, Tour Down Under 2022, Festival of Cycling Source: Santos Festival of Cycling

Men's Stage 2

In an exciting first for the race, this is the first ever appearance of Mt Lofty!  The race starts from there before heading down towards Woodside.

The small climb “Quarry Road” which is just out of Woodside will be the perfect launch pad for those riders looking to steal the victory on Westpac Stage 2. This stage will provide an awesome battle ground for riders attempting to attack and fly solo for the win, or sprinter who might be able to control the race and keep it together for an epic finale in Woodside.

Men's Stage 2, Tour Down Under 2022, Festival of Cycling Source: Santos Festival of Cycling

Men's Stage 3

Starting at the Main Road in McLaren Vale, the peloton will fly past hectares of vineyards and along the Aldinga Beach esplanade before the epic finish on the iconic Willunga Hill.

The equivalent stage in 2020 saw Richie Porte confirm his status as the King of Willunga, with perhaps his heir apparent, Luke Plapp, applauding him over the line after catching him on the climb.

Men's Stage 3, Tour Down Under 2022, Festival of Cycling Source: Santos Festival of Cycling