Tour Down Under 2026 Route stage 4: Brighton - Willunga
The riders roll out from the coastal town of Brighton and head via Chandlers Hill and McLaren Vale towards the foot of Willunga Hill. Instead of tackling the climb, they bypass it and continue towards the coast. The peloton completes two laps of roughly 40 kilometres, partly along the coastline, but it is unlikely that echelons will cause havoc.
In other words, the sprinters get an unexpected chance at glory. The fast men should note that the finishing straight in Willunga rises slightly.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Another interesting read: results 4th stage 2026 Tour Down Under.
Tour Down Under 2026 stage 4: route, profile, more
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Below the original route:
Action begins in beachside Brighton and the race then heads through McLaren Vale before climbers come out to play. At first with still a long way to go, but the screws tighten in the final 32 kilometres.
Roughly 7 kilometres after moving trough McLaren Vale for the first time, the riders get their first taste of Willunga Hill. The 3-kilometre climb at 7.4% ramps up to a maximum of 11% before the race continues with a loop back to Willunga, at the base of the iconic ascent, followed by two laps of roughly 40 kilometres. Each lap includes an 8-kilometre stretch along the coast, which could easily lead to echelons if a strong breeze picks up.
The riders move through McLaren Vale for the third time with 32 kilometres left to race, with Willunga Hill twice on the menu. After the second ascent, the riders remain at altitude for roughly 6 kilometres before plunging downhill towards McLaren Vale. Then it’s all systems go for a puncheur’s dream finale on the Tour Down Under’s trademark climb.
Richie Porte dominated Willunga Hill in the years 2014-2019 before being beaten in 2020 by Matthew Holmes. In 2025, the iconic finish climb returned after a 3-year hiatus, with Oscar Onley taking the spoils ahead of Stephen Williams and Jhonatan Narváez. The Colombian bounced back last year, winning ahead of Oscar Onley and Finn Fisher-Black, and securing the overall win in the process.
Fancy riding the original route yourself? Download GPX stage 4 Tour Down Under 2026.
Tour Down Under 2026 stage 4: route, profile, more
Click the images to enlarge
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