The Santos Women’s Tour Down Under would possibly battle to entice among the main European groups to make the lengthy journey however there’ll, as soon as once more, be a strong subject racing within the three-day occasion held from January 17-19 in and round Adelaide.
This 12 months will mark the strongest subject up to now with ten top-tier groups; AG Insurance-Soudal, Picnic PostNL, Live AlUla Jayco, Canyon-SRAM Zandocrypto, Lidl-Trek, FDJ-Suez, UAE Team ADQ, Human Powered Health, Cretatizit-WNT, and Uno-X Mobility all dedicated to going the gap to compete within the first Women’s WorldTour occasion of the 2025 season.
The route, which begins in Brighton and ends in Stirling, will cater to the climbers with back-to-back climbs over the long-lasting Willunga Hill because the centre-piece of the three-day occasion.
Although the peloton will begin with out defending champion Sarah Gigante, who was pressured to skip the race as she recovers from iliac artery surgical procedure, there are many riders to look at of their pursuit of the ochre jersey.
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Neve Bradbury and Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)
Australia’s Neve Bradbury, who went from teenage Zwift Academy winner to ‘world-class’ climber in simply 4 seasons, can be one of many favourites to look at on this version of the Women’s Tour Down Under.
It was her breakthrough season in 2024 that noticed her declare a stage victory and third total on the Giro d’Italia and a stage win and second on the Tour de Suisse, amongst many different standout performances.
All of that was ignited by a 3rd place total on the Tour Down Under, behind winner Gigante and runner-up Nienke Vinke, and she’s going to undoubtedly purpose to enhance on that efficiency in entrance of dwelling crowds.
She strains up with a powerful crew that features former time trial World Champion and observe racing specialist Chloé Dygert, who was pressured to skip the Australian summer time racing season final 12 months attributable to minor accidents. Healthy and able to begin the 2025 season on the Tour Down Under, Dygert can be one to look at for the opening stage in Brighton to Snapper Point.
Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek)
Swapping the colors of SD Worx-Protime for Lidl-Trek in 2025, will probably be attention-grabbing to look at Niamh Fisher-Black in her first race along with her new teammates. The New Zealand rider will doubtless sit among the many subject on the opening stage, however breakout alongside the highly effective climbers on stage 2’s decisive Willunga Hill.
It will naturally take a while to adapt to her new environment at Lidl-Trek, however she can have the expertise and help from riders like three-time total champion Amanda Spratt and Lauretta Hanson.
While racing with SD Worx over the earlier 4 seasons, a crew that historically opts out of competing within the Australian block, Fisher-Black had some standout moments that included stage wins on the Tour de Suisse and Giro d’Italia, the place she completed fifth total, however she usually performed a help function for the crew’s extra constant performers.
No longer below the shadows of riders like former Tour de France winner Demi Vollering and two-time reigning World Champion Lotte Kopecky, look ahead to Fisher-Black to set a brand new benchmark for herself on the Tour Down Under.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Ella Wyllie (Liv AlUla Jayco)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon has a sensible likelihood of donning the primary ochre jersey of the 2025 Women’s Tour Down Under after the opening stage into Snapper Point. The Australian is thought for her highly effective dash, however she is a contender on quick and steep climbs, too.
After successful two nationwide titles final 12 months, she suffered from the warmth on the Tour Down Under which is thought for its sweltering situations. However, her efficiency trajectory peaked mid-season when she claimed her first WorldTour victory on the Tour of Britain forward of SD Worx-Protime trio Christine Majerus, Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky.
She additionally concluded the season as a part of the Australian crew that secured victory within the combined crew time trial relay and sixth place within the street race on the Zurich World Championships.
Roseman-Gannon strains up with a powerful crew that features newly topped Australian criterium champion, Amber Pate, and Ella Wyllie, who completed seventh on the Willunga HIll stage and seventh total within the three-day occasion final 12 months.
Justine Ghekiere and Alexandra Manly (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Alexandra Manly can be a strong all-rounder able to reaping the rewards of getting a powerful dash and the flexibility to climb effectively. Now racing within the crew colors of AG Insurance-Soudal, Manly may deliver the crew the opening ochre chief’s jersey if she has a successful end into Snapper Point.
The crew is with out final 12 months’s total winner Sarah Gigante, however they’ve one other sturdy climber in Justine Ghekiere, who made a reputation for herself on the 2024 Tour de France Femmes the place she gained the mountain stage 7 into Le Grand Bornand and secured the queen of the mountains polka dot jersey.
One of probably the most thrilling riders to look at, Ghekiere has not but competed within the Australian summer time racing block so will probably be considerably of a check to see how the Belgian rider acclimates to the nice and cozy climate in Australia in January.
In addition to the skilled Manly and climber Ghekiere the crew additionally has Julie Van de Velde, who completed eighth total final 12 months whereas supporting Gigante to the general title.
Elise Chabbey and Eglantine Rayer (FDJ-SUEZ)
Elise Chabbey is certainly one of six incoming abilities at FDJ-SUEZ, a crew that has undergone a serious roster transformation with 4 outgoing riders together with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marta Cavalli. The Swiss all-rounder joins the crew alongside different new signings Demi Vollering, Juliette Labous, Eglantine Rayer and Ally Wollaston.
Although Vollering and Labous will not begin their seasons till subsequent month on European spoil, Chabbey will lead the crew on the Tour Down Under with help from climber Rayer and Wollaston.
Wollaston turned heads when she gained the opening stage final 12 months and took the occasion’s first chief’s jersey in Campbelltown, a efficiency she may repeat in 2025.
However, Chabbey’s expertise for breakaways and power on the climbs make her the crew’s finest likelihood for a prime place within the total GC on the Tour Down Under. Her transfer from Canyon-SRAM to FDJ-SUEZ signifies that she can have extra freedom to take the GC reins in among the greater WorldTour occasions with a acknowledged objective of successful extra races.
Kim Cadzow (EF-Oatly-Cannondale)
Kim Cadzow has been a serious a part of EF-Oatly-Cannondale’s success as a newly launched Continental outfit final season. Her standout performances included sixth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, tenth total at La Vuelta Femenina, eighth at Tour de Suisse, and the general title at Trofeo Ponente in Rosa.
The crew steps as much as the newly launched second-tier ProfessionalTeams in 2025, and Cadzow will start her season on the Tour Down Under. She will line up with different contenders in Megan Armitage and Noemi Rüegg, however with Cadzow’s power in time trialling, breakaways and climbing, look ahead to her to contest stage wins and a prime place within the total GC.
Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health)
Ruth Edwards returned to full-time racing with Human Powered Health originally of 2024 with standout performances that included a second place on the US National Championships and an total victory on the Thüringen Ladies Tour.
With one stable season now below her belt, Edwards will undoubtedly purpose to lift the bar and return to her pre-retirement type on the Tour Down Under, a race she gained in 2020.
She can have help from highly effective climber Barbara Malcotti and the pair may type a two-pronged strategy on the second day of racing over Willunga Hill. With extra climbing help from Marit Raaijmakers and Silvia Zanardi, look ahead to Human Powered Health to face on the general podium with Edwards.
Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ)
Dominika Włodarczyk had a powerful exhibiting on the Tour Down Under final 12 months ending fifth atop Willunga Hill and fifth total. In her second season with UAE Team ADQ, the Polish champion can have gained each power and expertise as she pursues a top-three total on this version.
UAE Team ADQ has additionally undergone some important roster modifications this season with the signing of Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini, Brodie Chapman and Elynor Backstedt, all coming from Lidl-Trek.
Włodarczyk will be a part of her new teammates later within the season, as UAE Team ADQ have put their help behind her for the Tour Down Under with skilled teammates Elizabeth Holden, Sofia Bertizzolo and Erica Magnaldi.