Willunga Hill has been removed from stage 4 of the Santos Tour Down Under, due to the Extreme fire danger rating for the area and forecast maximum temperatures of 43°C.
The second-last stage of the six day race was set to play out over 176km with 2492m of elevation gain across the course which included three ascents of the race staple, Willunga Hill. It now will start from Brighton an hour earlier at 10:10am and follow the same route to Willunga township but the climb will be removed. That will reduce the stage to 131km.
“While the removal of the famous Willunga Hill climb is disappointing news for cycling fans – ultimately rider and spectator safety is always the number one priority for our event,” said race director Stuart O’Grady in a statement.
“Following consultation with emergency services authorities, riders and the UCI, we have agreed to proceed with a modified program for Saturday’s racing.”
The day had been expected to be one of the more challenging stages in the six day event, though stage 2 to Uraidla with its dual Corkscrew stage was quick to set the scene for the overall battle, with UAE Team Emirate-XRG’s former race winners of Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez carving out an advantage of around a minute on their nearest rivals.
Now, with the key climbs of the iconic ascent carved out of the course its likely to turn from what was anticipated as a stage for riders to fight for the final step of the podium – with eight riders with ten seconds of third-placed Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) – into a sprinters stage.
The finish line will be on High Street in the Willunga township, in the same spot as stage 1 of the Women’s Tour Down Under, where Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-SUEZ) sprinted to victory.
Race organisers said that the final day of racing on stage 5 is “expected to proceed as planned”.
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