Tour Down Under 2026 Route stage 4: Brighton - Willunga Hill

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 on a 60-kilometre loop, which includes an 8-kilometre stretch along the coast that could prove tricky due to crosswinds

The second loop is 20 kilometres shorter but again features the coastal section.

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.

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.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX stage 4 Tour Down Under 2026.

Stage 4 of the Tour Down Under starts at 11:10 and the race is expected to finish around 15:39 – both local times (ACDT, UTC +10:30).

Tour Down Under 2026 stage 4: route, profile, more

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