The Santos Women’s Tour Down Beneath may wrestle to entice a number of the main European groups to make the lengthy journey however there’ll, as soon as once more, be a strong discipline racing within the three-day occasion held from January 17-19 in and round Adelaide.
This yr will mark the strongest discipline so far with ten top-tier groups; AG Insurance coverage-Soudal, Picnic PostNL, Reside AlUla Jayco, Canyon-SRAM Zandocrypto, Lidl-Trek, FDJ-Suez, UAE Crew ADQ, Human Powered Well being, Cretatizit-WNT, and Uno-X Mobility all dedicated to going the gap to compete within the first Girls’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 iconic Willunga Hill because the centre-piece of the three-day occasion.
Though the peloton will begin with out defending champion Sarah Gigante, who was pressured to skip the race as she recovers from iliac artery surgery, there are many riders to observe 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 just four seasons, can be one of many favourites to observe on this version of the Girls’s Tour Down Beneath.
It was her breakthrough season in 2024 that noticed her declare a stage victory and third general 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 general on the Tour Down Beneath, behind winner Gigante and runner-up Nienke Vinke, and she is going to undoubtedly intention to enhance on that efficiency in entrance of house crowds.
She strains up with a robust crew that features former time trial World Champion and observe racing specialist Chloé Dygert, who was pressured to skip the Australian summer season racing season final yr as a consequence of minor injuries. Wholesome and able to begin the 2025 season on the Tour Down Beneath, Dygert can be one to observe for the opening stage in Brighton to Snapper Level.
Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek)
Swapping the colors of SD Worx-Protime for Lidl-Trek in 2025, will probably be fascinating to observe Niamh Fisher-Black in her first race together with her new teammates. The New Zealand rider will probably sit among the many discipline on the opening stage, however breakout alongside the highly effective climbers on stage 2’s decisive Willunga Hill.
It would naturally take a while to adapt to her new surroundings at Lidl-Trek, however she may have the expertise and help from riders like three-time general champion Amanda Spratt and Lauretta Hanson.
Whereas 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 general, however she usually performed a help function for the crew’s extra constant performers.
Now not 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 Beneath.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Ella Wyllie (Liv AlUla Jayco)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon has a practical likelihood of donning the primary ochre jersey of the 2025 Girls’s Tour Down Beneath after the opening stage into Snapper Level. The Australian is thought for her highly effective dash, however she is a contender on brief and steep climbs, too.
After profitable two nationwide titles final yr, she suffered from the warmth on the Tour Down Beneath which is thought for its sweltering circumstances. Nevertheless, 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 blended crew time trial relay and sixth place within the street race on the Zurich World Championships.
Roseman-Gannon strains up with a robust crew that features newly topped Australian criterium champion, Amber Pate, and Ella Wyllie, who completed seventh on the Willunga HIll stage and seventh general within the three-day occasion final yr.
Justine Ghekiere and Alexandra Manly (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal)
Alexandra Manly can also be a strong all-rounder able to reaping the rewards of getting a robust dash and the flexibility to climb nicely. Now racing within the crew colors of AG Insurance coverage-Soudal, Manly may deliver the crew the opening ochre chief’s jersey if she has a profitable end into Snapper Level.
The crew is with out final yr’s general winner Sarah Gigante, however they’ve one other robust 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 the thrilling riders to observe, Ghekiere has not but competed within the Australian summer season 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.
Along with the skilled Manly and climber Ghekiere the crew additionally has Julie Van de Velde, who completed eighth general final yr whereas supporting Gigante to the general title.
Elise Chabbey and Eglantine Rayer (FDJ-SUEZ)
Elise Chabbey is considered one of six incoming abilities at FDJ-SUEZ, a crew that has undergone a significant 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.
Though Vollering and Labous will not begin their seasons till subsequent month on European spoil, Chabbey will lead the crew on the Tour Down Beneath with help from climber Rayer and Wollaston.
Wollaston turned heads when she gained the opening stage final yr and took the occasion’s first chief’s jersey in Campbelltown, a efficiency she may repeat in 2025.
Nevertheless, Chabbey’s expertise for breakaways and energy on the climbs make her the crew’s finest likelihood for a prime place within the general GC on the Tour Down Beneath. Her transfer from Canyon-SRAM to FDJ-SUEZ implies that she may have extra freedom to take the GC reins in a number of the larger WorldTour occasions with a stated goal of winning more races.
Kim Cadzow (EF-Oatly-Cannondale)
Kim Cadzow has been a significant 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 general 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 ProTeams in 2025, and Cadzow will start her season on the Tour Down Beneath. She is going to line up with different contenders in Megan Armitage and Noemi Rüegg, however with Cadzow’s energy in time trialling, breakaways and climbing, look ahead to her to contest stage wins and a prime place within the general GC.
Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Well being)
Ruth Edwards returned to full-time racing with Human Powered Well being initially of 2024 with standout performances that included a second place on the US Nationwide Championships and an general victory on the Thüringen Girls Tour.
With one strong season now below her belt, Edwards will undoubtedly intention to lift the bar and return to her pre-retirement kind on the Tour Down Beneath, a race she gained in 2020.
She may have help from highly effective climber Barbara Malcotti and the pair may kind a two-pronged method on the second day of racing over Willunga Hill. With further climbing help from Marit Raaijmakers and Silvia Zanardi, look ahead to Human Powered Well being to face on the general podium with Edwards.
Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Crew ADQ)
Dominika Włodarczyk had a robust displaying on the Tour Down Beneath final yr ending fifth atop Willunga Hill and fifth general. In her second season with UAE Crew ADQ, the Polish champion may have gained each energy and expertise as she pursues a top-three general on this version.
UAE Crew ADQ has additionally undergone some vital roster adjustments 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 part of her new teammates later within the season, as UAE Crew ADQ have put their help behind her for the Tour Down Beneath with skilled teammates Elizabeth Holden, Sofia Bertizzolo and Erica Magnaldi.
