Since 2016, the Tour Down Under has been an integral part of the professional women’s cycling calendar, drawing some of the biggest teams to sunny Australia to begin their seasons year after year. Aussie rider Amanda Spratt, who now rides for Trek-Segafredo, has become synonymous with the Tour Down Under, winning three editions in a row from 2017 to 2019. The race had a forced two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic but will return as a three-day event from to the January 15 to 17 in 2023. In those missing two years, the women’s peloton has changed and grown immeasurably, so while Spratt will be there to aim for victory again this year, the competition for top spot in the women’s Tour Down Under 2023 will be fiercer than ever.
Unlike the men’s Tour Down Under, which spans six stages, the women’s race will take place over three days, beginning with a flat 110.4km stage from Glenelg to Aldinga – this looks to be a day nailed on for the sprinters in the peloton. Day two sees more climbs begin to make an appearance, as the race moves through the Adelaide Hills to take on Mount Lofty in an attritional 90km stage. The finale of the race is another stage that should suit the puncheurs of the peloton, with a tough ascent of Corkscrew Road the main event of the 93.2km route.
Despite the event having secured Women’s WorldTour status in 2023, some of the biggest teams are absent from the start list, notably the number one ranked WWT team SD Worx, and the team of the newly-crowned world champion Annemiek van Vleuten; Movistar. However, there are still some exciting riders taking to the startline, including Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope), Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) and the Australian duo of Alexandra Manly and Ruby Roseman-Gannon from Team Jayco-mAlula.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 edition of the women’s Santos Tour Down Under.
Route
Stage one
The opening day of the women’s Tour Down Under kicks off in one of Adelaide’s picturesque beach-side suburbs: Glenelg. After a neutral roll out from the quaint town, the peloton will race down the coast to the first Queen of the Mountains sprint after 34.4km of racing. A short climb of just 840m and with an average gradient of 5.9%, this isn’t an ascent which should trouble the sprinters. The riders will then complete two finishing circuits around the town of Aldinga, with two sprint points coming on the lower slopes of Willunga Hill. The finish on Snapper…