Tour Down Under 2025 - Men's (Jan. 21-26)

[Cookster15]

the problem are the time trial bikes, I guess. It costs a lot of money to bring those to Australia.

You mean it costs a lot more money to bring extra bikes to Australia. Once you take off the wheels and aero bars the freight for a TT bike should cost similar to a conventional road bike to transport? Airfreight is a function of space and weight.

Other than its remoteness to Europe I think the TDU suffers due to limited geography. The bigger climbs are in the Victorian and NSW Alpes. It would make no sense to do a transfer from South Australia to the Snowy Mountains for a week long stage race.

 

[E_F_]

Other than its remoteness to Europe I think the TDU suffers due to limited geography. The bigger climbs are in the Victorian and NSW Alpes. It would make no sense to do a transfer from South Australia to the Snowy Mountains for a week long stage race.

The Herald Sun Tour would have made a better WT race for sure.

 

[Berniece]

My god that crash in the last 2 km’s… was that a speedbump right before a corner? So people flew over it, got of the ground and when landing slipped away because they were taking the corner.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I would argue Egan Bernal's crash was the end of the Sky/Ineos era. Of course if Bernal goes on to greater glory then you might argue he started a new era. Thomas was certainly a part of the Sky era, but not a bookend.

He is the last rider from the original team still there without a break, therefore end of an era when he retires.

 

[RJH]

Wels is the word for „catfish“ in German.

So he‘s a big catfish with brutal big thighs…

 

[yaco]

The Herald Sun Tour would have made a better WT race for sure.

It may be back on the calendar in 2026. In saying that it would be a nightmare scenario because you have the TDU, Alula Tour and the Herald Sun tour in 2 weeks. As the calendar stands, Jayco wanted to bring Groenewegen for the TDU but how can you with the current calendar.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It may be back on the calendar in 2026. In saying that it would be a nightmare scenario because you have the TDU, Alula Tour and the Herald Sun tour in 2 weeks. As the calendar stands, Jayco wanted to bring Groenewegen for the TDU but how can you with the current calendar.

That's only a major problem for a team with Aussie-Saudi sponsorship though.

 

[yaco]

That's only a major problem for a team with Aussie-Saudi sponsorship though.

It's nothing to do with Aussie/ Saudi sponsorship. It's a problem of the calendar. You would have had better sprint battles if Groenewegen was on the start line.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It's nothing to do with Aussie/ Saudi sponsorship. It's a problem of the calendar. You would have had better sprint battles if Groenewegen was on the start line.

That doesn't change that it's a problem (partially) created by the team's very own sponsor, which isn't an issue for teams that don't have the same obligations.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Wels is the word for „catfish“ in German.

So he‘s a big catfish with brutal big thighs…

Yes, Welsford's thighs served him well, hope to see him in the Tour or another GT later this year. (He said he really, really wants to be selected for the Tour.)
...

Overall I thought this was an enjoyable week, Browning, and Welsford's bouquet throwing skills, impressed me the most. It'll be interesting to see what the race route will look like next year, but for now this year's final GC results:

1	Jhonatan Narvaez	UAE Team Emirates XRG	19hr 19min 16sec
2	Javier Romo	Movistar Team	.09sec
3	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe	0:12
4	Oscar Onley	Team Picnic PostNL	0:15
5	Bastien Tronchon	Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale	0:24
6	Lucas Plapp	Team Jayco-AlUla	"
7	Magnus Sheffield	INEOS Grenadiers	0:27
8	Thomas Gloag	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	"
9	Patrick Konrad	Lidl-Trek	0:31
10	Michael Woods	Israel-Premier Tech	0:47
11	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates XRG	0:58
12	Rémy Rochas	Groupama-FDJ	"
13	Bauke Mollema	Lidl-Trek	1:01
14	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:03
15	Afonso Eulalio	Bahrain Victorious	1:06
16	Rudy Porter	ARA Australian Cycling Team	1:07
17	Albert Withen Philipsen	Lidl-Trek	1:09
18	Georg Zimmermann	Intermarché-Wanty	1:16
19	Zac Marriage	ARA Australian Cycling Team	1:24
20	Junior Lecerf	Soudal Quick-Step	1:26

 

[RedheadDane]

Yes, Welsford's thighs served him well, hope to see him in the Tour or another GT later this year. (I think he really, really wants to be selected for the Tour.)
...

Overall I thought this was an enjoyable week, Browning and Welsford's bouquet throwing skills impressed me the most. It'll be interesting to see what the race route will look like next year, but for now this year's final GC results:

1	Jhonatan Narvaez	UAE Team Emirates XRG	19hr 19min 16sec
2	Javier Romo	Movistar Team	.09sec
3	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe	0:12
4	Oscar Onley	Team Picnic PostNL	0:15
5	Bastien Tronchon	Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale	0:24
6	Lucas Plapp	Team Jayco-AlUla	"
7	Magnus Sheffield	INEOS Grenadiers	0:27
8	Thomas Gloag	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	"
9	Patrick Konrad	Lidl-Trek	0:31
10	Michael Woods	Israel-Premier Tech	0:47
11	Jay Vine	UAE Team Emirates XRG	0:58
12	Rémy Rochas	Groupama-FDJ	"
13	Bauke Mollema	Lidl-Trek	1:01
14	Chris Harper	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:03
15	Afonso Eulalio	Bahrain Victorious	1:06
16	Rudy Porter	ARA Australian Cycling Team	1:07
17	Albert Withen Philipsen	Lidl-Trek	1:09
18	Georg Zimmermann	Intermarché-Wanty	1:16
19	Zac Marriage	ARA Australian Cycling Team	1:24
20	Junior Lecerf	Soudal Quick-Step	1:26

The rest does not deserve to be shown. Too embarassing to be beaten by a Junior!

 

[yaco]

That doesn't change that it's a problem (partially) created by the team's very own sponsor, which isn't an issue for teams that don't have the same obligations.

Simply its a problem with the calendar. In the previous two years there was a ten day gap between the two races which allowed S.Yates to do both races. Anyway life could be worse because if the Herald Sun tour is reinstated, Jayco will have a triple program.

 

[tobydawq]

Simply its a problem with the calendar. In the previous two years there was a ten day gap between the two races which allowed S.Yates to do both races. Anyway life could be worse because if the Herald Sun tour is reinstated, Jayco will have a triple program.

So many races are overlapping all year round... Obviously this is only a problem for an Aussie/Saudi team...

 

[RedheadDane]

Simply its a problem with the calendar. In the previous two years there was a ten day gap between the two races which allowed S.Yates to do both races. Anyway life could be worse because if the Herald Sun tour is reinstated, Jayco will have a triple program.

Yes, but other teams probably won't feel the need to send one of their biggest stars to Saudi Arabia.

 

[yaco]

Yes, but other teams probably won't feel the need to send one of their biggest stars to Saudi Arabia.

Actually the Alula Tour has a decent start list for both GC and sprinters.

 

[Potomac]

Katzfischen sounds so much sexier than Wels.

 

[RedheadDane]

Actually the Alula Tour has a decent start list for both GC and sprinters.

Yes, but it's still a smaller race than TDU.

No other team than Jayco is in a position where it would be better if they could send their main sprinter to both races.
(Of course it doesn't help them that whatever happened with Ewan, well... happened with Ewan.)

 

[tobydawq]

Actually the Alula Tour has a decent start list for both GC and sprinters.

No it doesn't. Certainly not for GC.

 

[Unchained]

I would argue Egan Bernal's crash was the end of the Sky/Ineos era. Of course if Bernal goes on to greater glory then you might argue he started a new era. Thomas was certainly a part of the Sky era, but not a bookend.

Ineos did an absolutely terrible job trying to push the narrative of success and legacy.. Bernal going down and team didn't do much to hype him up, maybe not for actual results but upward trajectory and positive media, Ineos didn't do much to promote success for Rodriguez.. He was a sort of firecracker.. Made a bit of noise.. couldn't carry on.. Thomas is a statesman Ineos doing little to build him up in these seasons that are a sort of farewell tour..and Ineos absolutely squandered Pidcock everything.. MTB, decending reputation, attacking style, cyclocross, Olympian.. They have pissed away dozens of opportunities to positively promote the team.. And look at what they have given away!! Sure that multiple people at Ineos were sick to their stomach watching Jhonatan Narvaez get a brilliant season start ...with new team!!!
I really hope that rather than Ineos and Arkea B&B both simply evaporate someone is talking a merge of sorts.. I don't see why anyone would want their brand associated with the team..

 

[Potomac]

No it doesn't. Certainly not for GC.

The data agrees with you

Pos.	Rider	Team	GC Ranking position
1	Majka Rafał	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	54
2	Pidcock Thomas	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	65
3	Dunbar Eddie	Team Jayco AlUla	70
4	Voisard Yannis	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	108
5	van den Broek Frank	Team Picnic PostNL	128
6	Jegat Jordan	Team TotalEnergies	160
7	Pesenti Thomas	Soudal Quick-Step	232
8	Bregnhøj Mathias	Terengganu Cycling Team	237
9	Dversnes Fredrik	Uno-X Mobility	238
10	Bjerg Mikkel	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	248
11	Holter Ådne	Uno-X Mobility	274
12	Koishi Yuma	JCL Team UKYO	291
13	Kepplinger Rainer	Bahrain - Victorious	302
14	Eyob Metkel	Terengganu Cycling Team	306
15	de Bod Stefan	Terengganu Cycling Team	308
16	Kulset Johannes	Uno-X Mobility	321
17	Delbove Joris	Team TotalEnergies	351
18	Romele Alessandro	XDS Astana Team	354
19	Iribar Unai	Equipo Kern Pharma	392
20	Kristoff Alexander	Uno-X Mobility	393

 

[Wyndbrook]

Ineos did an absolutely terrible job trying to push the narrative of success and legacy.. Bernal going down and team didn't do much to hype him up, maybe not for actual results but upward trajectory and positive media, Ineos didn't do much to promote success for Rodriguez.. He was a sort of firecracker.. Made a bit of noise.. couldn't carry on.. Thomas is a statesman Ineos doing little to build him up in these seasons that are a sort of farewell tour..and Ineos absolutely squandered Pidcock everything.. MTB, decending reputation, attacking style, cyclocross, Olympian.. They have pissed away dozens of opportunities to positively promote the team.. And look at what they have given away!! Sure that multiple people at Ineos were sick to their stomach watching Jhonatan Narvaez get a brilliant season start ...with new team!!!
I really hope that rather than Ineos and Arkea B&B both simply evaporate someone is talking a merge of sorts.. I don't see why anyone would want their brand associated with the team..

Oh dear, sounds like end of the world.

 

[ingsve]

You are never having a 25 ITT to fit in with the current parcours. Where the TDU is missing out is a few one week stage races have one day 1.1 races before the stage race. The TDU has the Schawbe criterium which could be reconfigured to a one day race like the Figeroa Classic or Muscat Classic.

Since the last crit stage is so short, they could probably fit in a 10k ITT in the morning as a 5a stage before finishing with the criterium.

 

[ingsve]

The data agrees with you

Pos.	Rider	Team	GC Ranking position
1	Majka Rafał	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	54
2	Pidcock Thomas	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	65
3	Dunbar Eddie	Team Jayco AlUla	70
4	Voisard Yannis	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	108
5	van den Broek Frank	Team Picnic PostNL	128
6	Jegat Jordan	Team TotalEnergies	160
7	Pesenti Thomas	Soudal Quick-Step	232
8	Bregnhøj Mathias	Terengganu Cycling Team	237
9	Dversnes Fredrik	Uno-X Mobility	238
10	Bjerg Mikkel	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	248
11	Holter Ådne	Uno-X Mobility	274
12	Koishi Yuma	JCL Team UKYO	291
13	Kepplinger Rainer	Bahrain - Victorious	302
14	Eyob Metkel	Terengganu Cycling Team	306
15	de Bod Stefan	Terengganu Cycling Team	308
16	Kulset Johannes	Uno-X Mobility	321
17	Delbove Joris	Team TotalEnergies	351
18	Romele Alessandro	XDS Astana Team	354
19	Iribar Unai	Equipo Kern Pharma	392
20	Kristoff Alexander	Uno-X Mobility	393

Ya, and if you look at climbers then Kristoff is the 9th best climber in AlUla tour.

 

[Unchained]

Oh dear, sounds like end of the world.

It's never really the end but looking more and more likely that @60+ pro riders and few hundred supporting positions will be looking for work soon, 2026 will look different. And UAE just keeps steaming along like a freight train.. First race, first win and picked up points had good showing from multiple riders.. And the real winners for TDU was bold blazing style for Australian national team!! They were in the mix and racing positive from opening gun!!
TDU did a great, great job not showing the obvious massive problem, lack luster race routes had riders, 10-12 across and daily dose of crash and smash, riders looking like they were involved in tiger cage combat with torn clothing everywhere.. Welsford needed new skinsuit daily!! Race coverage commentary just pretending that it didn't happen..

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Since the last crit stage is so short, they could probably fit in a 10k ITT in the morning as a 5a stage before finishing with the criterium.

The women do a (rather pointless) one-day race on the same route before the men, that complicates things.