The Tour Down Under opens the men's WorldTour season every January in the heat of South Australia. First run in 1999, it was the first WorldTour race held outside Europe, and it has become a fixture of the early calendar, raced through the Adelaide Hills. The overall usually comes down to the summit finish on Willunga Hill, the climb that has decided the race for years. Simon Gerrans won it a record four times, and Richie Porte made Willunga almost his private property. In 2026 Jay Vine took the overall for UAE. After the winter break it is the first real read on form for the year ahead.