Santos Tour Down Under 2026 route - Stage-by-stage guide

After two years of sprint stages in 2024 and 2025, both won by Sam Welsford, the Santos Tour Down Under kicks off with a prologue for the second time, with the last taking place back in 2023.

Just like in 2023, Adelaide will host the prologue, and on that occasion, it was Alberto Bettiol who stormed to victory on wet roads. 

At 3.6km in length, this prologue will be over before it's even really started, so a maxed-out effort will be required for the victory rather than a calculated performance and for added measure, the riders will race the prologue on their road bikes rather than a time trial set-up.

The riders will begin their effort outside the City of Adelaide Tour Village and will enter onto Victoria Park’s criterium circuit via Halifax Street, with the prologue finishing in front of the heritage grandstand, where the first wearer of the Ochre jersey will be decided.

Just like in 2025, Tanunda will host the second day of racing, where the sprinters are set to duke it out for victory in this 120km stage.

For the sprinters, the first opportunity to get a feel for the finish line will come just 25 kilometres into the stage when the riders reach Tanunda. From here, the peloton will tackle multiple laps of a circuit

The riders will take on a circuit that features Menglers Hill, which is 2.1km in length and averages 3.9%, an opportunity to score mountain points, but an ascent that isn’t designed to catch out the sprinters. 

Sam Welsford was victorious in Tanunda twelve months ago, and the Australian will be looking to kick off life with the Ineos Grenadiers with another successful sprint in Tanunda. No spoilers, but with what is to come, the fast men will be eager to take this opportunity to sprint for a victory.

The race organisers have described this edition of the Tour Down Under as one of the “toughest on record”, and it’s stages like this that illustrate why.

148km in length, this stage should produce action from the get-go in Norwood as the race very quickly ascends up the Norton summit towards Ashton, which could see a fight for the breakaway if it isn’t already formed before its 10km slopes with its average gradient of 4%, but maximum sections of 12.6%.

From here, the riders will pass through Uraidla for the first time, before Lenswood and Lobethal on rolling terrain, towards the next key section of the stage, Corkscrew Road.

The climb to Corkscrew Road will be tackled twice, and it’s one of the hardest that the entire Tour Down Under has to offer. It’s not particularly long at 2.4km, but it’s the average gradient of 9.7%, and a maximum of 16.2% that give this climb its reputation. 

It’s fair to say that the ascent will split the race up, but in terms of the final outcome, it will be a case of whether any riders can return to the front of the race in the last rolling 20km from the summit of the final climb to contest the stage win.

This is no gimme for the sprinters, but it’s certainly a stage that will be highlighted as a prime opportunity to strike. 

There are a couple of categorised climbs to contend with, such as Wickham Hill and Mount Barker, and if ridden at a difficult pace, they could put some of the sprinters in trouble. 

However, with the two stages to come, it’s unlikely that the GC contenders will want a busy day and will be looking to instead focus on staying out of trouble.

For those who survive the climbs, the finale will be all about gearing towards a 19km loop that takes the riders to the finish in Nairne, where there’s a strong chance of a sprint finish among those who remain.

This is the stage that most will be looking out for. The Santos Tour Down Under and Willunga Hill are intrinsically linked with one another.

In tune with making this one of the hardest editions of the race, the riders will tackle this infamous climb three times, a first for the Tour Down Under. 

Beginning in Brighton, along the coast, the riders will head towards McLaren Vale, where the route swings in favour of the climbers, and the ascents of Willunga Hill will take centre stage.

The climb itself is 3km in length, with an average gradient of 7.5%, with maximum gradients of 11% where significant differences can be made.

The final ascent takes the riders to the finish line, and it will either host a solo victor who has had the strength or intelligence to draw themselves clear or an explosive uphill sprint for glory between a reduced selection of riders. Regardless, this is a stage that could well define the 2026 Tour Down Under.

UPDATE on Jan 23: Due to extreme fire danger and forecast temperatures of up to 43 degrees, stage 4 has been modified.

The modified stage will still start in Brighton but will roll out an hour earlier at 10:10 am local time and will have a different finish than anticipated.

While the route towards Willunga remains unchanged, the Willunga Hill climb has been removed entirely, with the stage now finishing on High Street in the Willunga township. 

This is the same finishing location used for stage 1 of the women’s race, won by Ally Wollaston. The revised stage distance will be 131km compared to the original 176km.

The finale to the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under is set to take place on a demanding circuit in the Adelaide Hills, starting and finishing in Stirling with a new stage to etch into the race's legacy.

Twelve months ago, the final stage was one for the sprinters, meaning the story of the GC was all but told. However, make no doubt about it, the ochre jersey is still firmly up for grabs ahead of this curtain closer 170km stage, which is one of the longest to end an edition of the Tour Down Under. 

The main feature on the circuit is the ascent to Stirling, which stands at 2.8km in length and averages 4%. However, there are sections on the climb that reach 11%, which could serve as a launchpad for an attack. 

Race director Stuart O’Grady has described the finale as “almost like a world championship or national championship-style circuit where there will be so many opportunities to attack.”

Whilst the climb will stand out as a key feature, there’s also a strong possibility that the race-winning move could come over the summit of the climb or even before. Essentially, Brawn and Brains will both be required to come out on top at the end of stage 5 and win the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under, which will be one of the most attritional in the race's history.