Last edition’s opening stage set out from Port Adelaide, this time the Tour Down Under commences on O’Connell Street, close to the Adelaide Oval. The finish is the same venue as last year’s start.
Following the neutralised zone the race ignites in Regency Park and shortly the riders hit the route of the 1st stage of last year’s race. A right turn takes them onto the Port River Expressway and into the Adelaide Hills. After One Tree Hill the course leaves last year’s route to continue to the first and only KOM climb, which is the punchy Snake Gully with its crest at kilometre 39.3. In Houghton the riders enter a loop via Paracombe and Ingleton, that’s ridden three times before returning to Adelaide on the same roads. The last 5 kilometres are different though, as the riders continue straight ahead on the Port River Expressway to Porte Adelaide for a likely fast finishers showdown.
The peloton crosses the finish line for the first time with 3.4 kilometers left to race. So the sprinters will have the opportunity to take in the finale.
The 1st stage of the 2018 Tour Down Under ran to Lyndoch, where André Greipel outsprinted Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan.
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints (at kilometre 57.6 and at kilometre 79.3) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
The 1st stage of the 2019 Tour Down Under starts at 11:00 and the finish is expected around 14:29 – both local times.
Tour Down Under 2019 stage 1: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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Route and profiel 1st stage
Route 1st stage
Profile 1st stage
Port Adelaide and Lyndoch at Google maps
