Feature

Five GC contenders for the 2026 Men's Tour Down Under

The 2026 WorldTour season is almost here, with riders heading Down Under for the first WorldTour race of the year. The Southern Hemisphere’s only WorldTour stage race tends to favour sharp climbers on Willunga Hill and calm decision making in the brutal heat. In recent editions, the winners have usually come from well organised teams, led by riders who can climb with the best and still finish fast from a reduced group.

January 19 2026 - 5:30 PM

Jonathan Narvaez - Tour of Deutschland 2025

Cor Vos

1. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

The defending champion returns as the rider to beat, and with good reason. Narváez's blend of diesel climbing, fast finishing and supreme race craft was the winning formula in 2025, and little about the 2026 parcours diminishes his prospects.

He thrives in attritional heat, holds position expertly into key climbs, and has the tactical patience to wait for the final 300 metres on Willunga Hill before landing a knockout sprint.

That cocktail makes him the most rounded GC option on the start list, particularly when stages are decided by seconds rather than minutes. Jay Vine and Adam Yates are also other cards for UAE to play in the general classification.

2. Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

After finishing third in 2025, the Kiwi returns with unfinished business and looks primed to mount the most credible challenge to Narváez. Fisher-Black proved last year that he has the legs for the climb of Willunga Hill and the consistency across five hot days.

Red Bull brings a fascinating mix to support their leader. Australian neo-pro Luke Tuckwell offers local knowledge on home roads, Spanish climber Haimar Etxeberria provides another card for Willunga, while Laurence Pithie and veteran Danny van Poppel bring positioning expertise.

If Fisher-Black can stay within touching distance through bonus seconds and unleash a perfectly timed attack on Willunga's steepest ramps, he has the power to drop everyone bar Narváez and potentially outsprint the Ecuadorian at the summit.

3. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché)

The 2024 UAE Tour champion makes his Tour Down Under debut after a frustrating 2025 derailed by crashes and illness. When Van Eetvelt is firing, few riders match his explosive punch on short climbs combined with the endurance to back it up day after day.

Lotto Intermarché has built its Tour Down Under squad around its young leader. Georg Zimmermann provides the engine for flat stages, Jonas Rutsch offers climbing support, while Taco van der Hoorn can animate breakaways to put pressure on rival teams.

If Van Eetvelt has truly recovered his form, expect him to test the favourites repeatedly rather than wait for Willunga. His aggressive style could crack open a race that often comes down to a handful of seconds.

4. Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla)

The Australian arrives on home soil with everything to prove after a mixed 2025 season. O'Connor knows these roads intimately and thrives in the January heat that often catches European riders off guard. His climbing style suits Willunga's consistent gradient, where he can tap out a rhythm and gradually reel in attackers rather than match explosive accelerations.

Jayco AlUla has assembled a very strong squad for their home WorldTour race. Luke Plapp offers another GC option and climbing support, and Mauro Schmid can control the tempo on rolling stages.

O'Connor's path to victory requires staying within 20 seconds before Willunga, then using his knowledge of exactly where the gradient bites hardest to launch a perfectly timed attack.

5. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious)

The Colombian climber brings Grand Tour pedigree to Adelaide, having won mountain stages at both the Giro and Vuelta with his explosive attacking style. Buitrago's sharp accelerations make him perfectly suited to Willunga Hill, where the ability to repeatedly surge can crack rivals who prefer a steady tempo.

His punchy nature saw him defeat pure climbers in the mountains of Grand Tours, and that same explosiveness translates well to the Tour Down Under's shorter, punchier ascents.

If Buitrago positions himself well and uses his explosive accelerations to distance the fast finishers in the final kilometre, he could arrive at the summits alone.