Tour Down Under 2026 Route stage 5: Stirling

Tour Down Under 2026 Route stage 5: Stirling - Stirling

Sunday 25 January - The closing stage of the Tour Down Under serves up 169.8 kilometres of racing through the Adelaide Hills, with both the start and finish in Stirling. The riders tackle eight laps of an undulating circuit, each time conquering two climbs in quick succession. The elevation totals 3,436 metres.

Mount Barker Road hosts the start and finish of the ultimate stage. The race through the Adelaide Hills has Stirling at its heart. It’s up, it’s down and it’s on as the riders sweep past towns such as Mylor and Aldgate.

A 2.4-kilometre climb on approach to Stirling is expected to set the race on fire, especially in the final lap. The climb to the line, which extends along Mount Barker Road, averages a modest gradient but also kicks up to a maximum of 11%.

The 21.1-kilometre circuit opens with a rolling descent into Mylor, after which the route climbs twice in quick succession. The first ascent stretches over 4.6 kilometres at 3%, and after a short drop, the rise along Mount Barker Road serves up 2.4 kilometres at 3.8%. The finish comes just before the summit of that second incline.

The Tour Down Under last visited Stirling in 2018, with Caleb Ewan sprinting to victory.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX stage 5 Tour Down Under 2026.

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.

Stage 5 of the Tour Down Under starts at 11:10 and the race is expected to finish around 15:26 – both local times (ACDT, UTC +10:30).