Stirling > Stirling 170km The final stage of the TDU and the race heads to the lap circuit in Stirling. This is the first time the race has finished in Stirling since 2020, which is weird as it used to be a staple of the race. Previous winners include Caleb Ewan (twice), Jay McCarthy (remember him?) and JJ Lobato (mythical uphill sprinter!), you need a lot of punch, it suits the climbing sprinters. With lots of crashes and DNFs in stage 4, we could see a different type of race, it all depends on the attitude of the peloton.

Castellón de la Plana > Onda 171km Just the 3rd edition of the race, I like this little block of 3 races down near Valencia, it’s perfect for teams in Spain for team camps. Morgado won last year, jumping away with a group of riders on the last climb and holding off the chasing bunch. Will UAE successfully defend their title this year?

Brighton > Willunga 131km Extreme heat and risk of wildfires means that Willunga Hill has had to be removed from the stage, instead, we’re going to get a sprint stage in Willunga town. It’s the same finished used in the opening stage of the women’s Tour, you might remember Bryan Coquard winning a stage here in 2023. No Willunga Hill is obviously disappointing, but there’s nothing the organisers can do. 

Marratxi > Felanitx 129km The first couple of editions of this race ended in a sprint, that won’t be happening this year as the organisers have decided to end the race on a climb. It’s the first race of the year for all of the riders, making my job of predicting the outcome quite tricky, but I’ll give it a bash.

Estivella > Estivella 164km Come on then, who’s idea was it to put three ascents of Alto del Garbí into a race in January? Hands up, no hiding now. Whoever it was won’t be flavour of the month with most of the peloton, but I’d like to give them a kiss. You could call it the perfect way to blow away the winter cobwebs or possibly an act of sadomasochism, but whether they like it or not, the riders are going to have to deal with. Apart from the extra ascent, the race is pretty similar to last year, when...

Henley Beach > Nairne 141km 2472m of climbing, which is more than the Willunga stage, this isn’t as straightforward as you might think. The good news for the sprinters is that the first half of the day is much harder than the second, it would actually be a much better stage if done in reverse. Most of the sprinters will hope to be fighting for the win, but it all depends on how hard the peloton make the climbs.

Norwood > Uraidla 148km Not just the hardest stage of the race, but the hardest stage I’ve ever seen in the Tour Down Under. It’s not the amount of elevation gain, although, 3221m is significant, it’s the new ascent of Corkscrew Road, which is done on two occasions. I can see the winner of this stage winning the ochre jersey on Sunday, it’s that important.

Tanunda > Tanunda 120km After Sam Watson took the win in the opening prologue, the race proper starts with a sprint stage in Tanunda. It looks like the only flat sprint, so an important one for the heavier sprinters who don’t climb too well. After dominating last year, Sam Welsford will be dreaming of a flying start to his Ineos career.

Tanunda > Tanunda 95km After the fun of the TDU, the women’s peloton has this one-day race to get their teeth sunk into. On paper, a rather boring sprint, but things aren’t always as they seem.

Adelaide > Adelaide 3.6km The race kicks off with a nighttime prologue in Adelaide city centre. Just 3.6km in length, it will be over in the blink of an eye. Such a short distance means the stage shouldn’t have a significant impact on the fight for GC, but any time gained in a race like this is very important. Sprinters and track specialists will be eying up the win, beating those types of riders will be incredibly difficult over a 4-minute effort.