tour down under wednesday

- 2024 Tour Down Under Live Online Coverage Guide -

Cyclingfans.com Tour Down Under Tour Tracker with live GPS tracking shows you key data about every stage, including every rider group, time gap, sprint and climb. Click any of the icons to get details about the item, including detailed gradients of every climb.

2020 Tour Down Under Stage 6 Profile

2020 Tour Down Under Stage 5 Profile

2020 Tour Down Under Stage 4 Profile

2020 Tour Down Under Stage 2 Profile

2020 Tour Down Under Stage 1 Profile

Previous live feeds:

- 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling, Australia

Men and Women Road races January 21 - 24 ----------------------------------------------

STAGE 1 - Thursday, January 21 - Seppeltsfield TO Tanunda (Ziptrak Stage 1)

Women's Race Start at 9:00am local, 11:30pm CET, 5:30pm ET (Wednesday night in the US) Finish at 11:30am local, 02:00am CET, 8:00pm ET

Men's Race Start at 1:15pm local, 03:45am CET, 9:45pm ET Finish at 4:11pm local, 6:41am CET, 12:41am ET ----------------------------

Stage 2 - Friday, January 22 - Birdwood - Lobethal (BikeExchange Stage 2)

Women's Race Start at 9:00am local, 11:30pm CET, 5:30pm ET (Thursday night in the US) Finish at 11:45am local, 02:15am CET, 8:15pm ET

Men's Race Start at 1:30pm local, 04:00am CET, 10:00pm ET Finish at 4:25pm local, 6:55am CET, 12:55am ET

----------------------------

Stage 3 - Saturday, January 23 - McLaren Vale - Willunga Hill (Be Safe Be Seen Stage 3)

Women's Race Start at 10:00am local, 12:30am CET, 6:30pm ET (Friday night in the US) Finish at 11:30am local, 02:00am CET, 8:00pm ET

Men's Race Start at 1:00pm local, 03:30am CET, 9:30pm ET Finish at 3:20pm local, 5:50am CET, 11:50am ET ----------------------------

Stage 4 - Sunday, January 24 - Victoria Park (Trek Stage 4)

Women's Race Start at 4:45pm local, 7:15am CET, 1:15am ET Finish at 5:45pm local, 8:15am CET, 2:15am ET

Men's Race Start at 6:45pm local, 09:15am CET, 3:15am ET Finish at 7:45pm local, 10:15am CET, 4:15am ET ----------------------------

Adelaide time zone is ACDT Australian Central Daylight Time (GMT+10:30) 9:30 hours ahead of CET 15:30 hours ahead of ET

- Giacomo Nizzolo (NTT Pro Cycling) won Stage 5.  Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) took over the lead in the general classification.

- Tour Tracker LIVE here .  More feeds to come...

- Expected LIVE video here . (Sky Sport, geo-restricted)  - Expected LIVE video here . (SuperSport, geo-restricted)  - Expected LIVE video here . (TV2.dk, geo-restricted)  - Expected LIVE video here . (SenalColombia, geo-restricted)  - Expected LIVE video here .  (GCN Racing, geo-restricted)

- Expected LIVE video here & here & here . (English, Seven, geo-restricted?)

- Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) won Stage 4.  Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) remains overall leader.

- Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) won Stage 3 and is new race leader.

- Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) won Stage 2 and took over the lead on G.C.

- Stage 1 Results: Overall Ziptrak Stage 1 Winner: Sam Bennett, Deceuninck – Quick-Step Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey: Sam Bennett, Deceuninck – Quick-Step Crowds: 75,000 Santos Best Dressed Town Daily Winner: Tanunda Business Group   Stage 2 Cycling Action Race:                 Santos Tour Down Under What:                Novatech Stage 2 Start:                 11:00am @ Woodside Finish:               2:23pm @ Stirling Distance:          135.8km

Stage 2 Broadcast Details 2020 Santos Tour Down Under – Novatech Stage 2 Sydney 12.30pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Melbourne 12.30pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Brisbane 11.30am LIVE on 7TWO, 12.00pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Adelaide 12.00pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Perth 9.30am LIVE on 7TWO and 7plus

- Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quickstep) won Stage 1 and is first leader in the general classification.

- South Australian Premier Steven Marshall commenting on the region: "Spectators can not only enjoy some elite cycling action but can also experience everything the Barossa has to offer – from the region’s quality produce to world-class wineries only a stone’s throw away from the racing.  The Barossa region is a popular destination for domestic and international travellers, helping to put South Australia on the map. It’s great to be able to have the cycling go straight through here so visitors can make the most of their time in this fantastic part of the state."

- Mike Turtur, Race Director: "The design of our race is a unique feature of the event and this year we have three days for both the sprinters and the all-rounders.  We’re going back to Paracombe and will climb Willunga Hill again for the finale in Be Safe Be Seen Stage 6 but also have a fast race set for today in the Barossa and we’ll challenge the peloton with a return to Stirling.  We recognise that circuit racing gives people the opportunity to see the race multiple times and really does allow the full colour of the race to be presented to spectators. The riders like them too because they can familiarise themselves with the circuit and the climbs, and it reduces the danger of corners because they do them multiple times."

Day 1 Cycling Action Race: Santos Tour Down Under What: Ziptrak Stage 1 Start: 11:00am @ Tanunda Finish: 2:45pm @ Tanunda Distance: 150.0km

Today’s Broadcast Details 2020 Santos Tour Down Under – Ziptrak Stage 1 Sydney: 12.30pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Melbourne: 12.30pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Brisbane:  11.30am LIVE on 7TWO, 12.00pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Adelaide: 12.00pm LIVE on Channel 7 and 7plus Perth: 9.30am LIVE on 7TWO and 7plus

- Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) won the 2020 Men's Tour Down Under Schwalbe Classic.  Said Ewan post-race: "I started this season, I think, with a bit of pressure to replicate what I did last year or try to grow my wins on top of that. This is my first race of the season, usually, I’ve done some races before but I felt really good out there. I was pretty relaxed for the first half sitting down the back and then when I needed to go, I got up into position and that was it.

- Simona Frapporti (BePink) won Stage 4.  Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo) wins the 2020 Women's Tour Down Under.  Frapporti following her stage win said: "It’s always nice to win on the first stage race of the year. Coming from Italy, we were behind the locals in terms of condition but I was feeling very well today. So I took my chance. I’m sure my two brothers [Marco and Mattia Frapporti] who are professional cyclists too will be happy to hear that I’m a winner today. It’s important to start an Olympic year with a victory. It’s perfect for the confidence."

- Ruth Winder following her overall victory in the 2020 Women's TDU: "It feels pretty crazy to win the Santos Tour Down Under. Team Sunweb and Mitchelton-SCOTT really put us under pressure. I’m really happy to pull it off. I’m still really excited after the stage I won yesterday. It’s such an incredible feeling. It’s not a single person’s sport. For every win, you need a strong team. I wish my team-mates could accompany me on the podium."

- TDU Schwalbe Classic - Sunday, January 19 -

- Expected LIVE video here . (Sky Sport, geo-restricted)  - Expected LIVE video here . (SuperSport, geo-restricted)

- Expected LIVE video here .  (English, 7TWO)

- Expected LIVE video here .  (English, 7mate)

- Santos Women's Tour Down Under -

- Stage 4 - Sunday, January 19 -

- Expected LIVE video  here .  (English, GCN Racing)

- Expected LIVE video here .  (English, 7plus)

- Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo) won Stage 3 and took over the lead on G.C.  Winder had this to say after the stage: "My teammate Tayler Wiles, she was just leading me out perfectly. I was talking to her the whole time, we’ve been teammates for years and she’s helped me with so many wins, so every time I do I feel so grateful for her in the last 500 metres. The whole team the entire race was really active at the front covering things, making sure I was really safe until the circuits, which were pretty hard with Mitchelton-SCOTT destroying it on the times pretty much."

- Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) won Stage 2 and is new overall leader.  Spratt post-stage: "Very, very, very excited. We had a solid team plan today, we knew it could be really hard in the final if we made it that way, and that’s exactly what we did. The girls did it perfectly into the climb, Lucy [Kennedy] did her job in the climb and split it into a group of five – we had three and five – and then we knew we just had to make it hard after that. I’m really excited that I could win that sprint in the end. After a great team effort it’s the best way to win."

- Chloe Hosking (Rally Cycling) won Stage 1 of the women's race and is first leader in the general classification.  Said Hosking post-stage: "I am just so proud of the girls, it's our first race all together but you wouldn't know it on the road. They were always there, when there was trouble in the wind they were rolling, and they did exactly what we planned in the finish which was just to keep the speed high and keep me out of trouble...we committed to our plan and we executed it."

Santos Tour Down Under - Men's race - January 19 - 26

Stage 1 - Tuesday, January 21 - Tanunda-Tanunda (Ziptrak® Stage 1) Start at 11:00am local, 01:30am CET, 7:30pm ET (US times the previous day) Finish at 2:45pm local, 5:15am CET, 11:15pm ET

Stage 2 - Wednesday, January 22 - Woodside-Stirling (Novatech Stage 2) Start at 11:00am local, 01:30am CET, 7:30pm ET (US times the previous day) Finish at 2:23pm local, 4:53am CET, 10:53pm ET

Stage 3 - Thursday, January 23 - Unley - Paracombe (Subaru Stage 3) Start at 11:00am local, 01:30am CET, 7:30pm ET (US times the previous day) Finish at 2:27pm local, 4:57am CET, 10:57pm ET

Stage 4 - Friday, January 24 - Norwood - Murray Bridge Start at 11:00am local, 01:30am CET, 7:30pm ET (US times the previous day) Finish at 3:08pm local, 5:38am CET, 11:38pm ET

Stage 5 - Saturday, January 25 - Glenelg - Victor Harbor (100% Stage 5) Start at 10:40am local, 1:10am CET, 7:10pm ET (US times the previous day) Finish at 2:40pm local, 5:10am CET, 11:10pm ET

Stage 6 - Sunday, January 26 - McLaren Vale - Willunga Hill (Be Safe Be Seen Stage 6) Start at 10:40am local, 1:10am CET, 7:10pm ET (US times the previous day) Finish at 2:28pm local, 4:58am CET, 10:58pm ET

Adelaide time zone is ACDT 9:30 hours ahead of CET 15:30 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern 16:30 hours ahead of Chicago

Santos Women's Tour - January 16 - 19

Stage 1 - Thursday, January 16 - Hahndorf to Macclesfield (Ziptrak® Stage 1) Start at 10:00am local, 12:30am CET, 6:30pm ET (US times the previous day)

Stage 2 - Friday, January 17 - Murray Bridge-Birdwood (Novatech Stage 2) Start at 10:00am local, 12:30am CET, 6:30pm ET (US times the previous day)

Stage 3 - Saturday, January 18 - Nairne to Stirling (Subaru Stage 3) Start at 10:00am local, 12:30am CET, 6:30pm ET (US times the previous day)

Stage 4 - Sunday, January 19 - Adelaide (Schwalbe Stage 4) Start at 4:45pm local, 7:15am CET, 1:15am ET ------------------------------------------

Adelaide, Australia time zone is ACDT 9:30 hours ahead of CET 15:30 hours ahead of U.S. ET 16:30 hours ahead of Chicago

- More 2020 Tour Down Under TV broadcast details to come...

- The 2020 Women's Tour Down Under is being held January 16-19.

- The 2020 Tour Down Under Classic (Schwalbe Classic) is being held Sunday, January 19.

- The 2020 Santos Tour Down Under is being held January 19-26.

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How to Watch the Santos Tour Down Under

2024 worldtour racing kicks off with the three-stage women’s race friday, january 12, followed by the six-stage men’s race tuesday, january 16..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Missing road racing? Good news! The offseason doldrums are coming to a close with the return of the Santos Tour Down Under this weekend. Here’s how you can watch all the racing from Australia, wherever in the world you are, live on TV and streaming.

Started in 1999, the race returns for its 24th edition (it wasn’t held in 2021 and 2022 due to Covid-19) as the kick-off of the WorldTour calendar. The women’s event started in 2016 and is now in its seventh edition. It is also ranked as a top-level UCI Women’s WorldTour race.  

Racing begins with the three-stage women’s race Friday, January 12, followed by the six-stage men’s race Tuesday, January 16.

Also read:  ‘It’s Been a Sad Few Weeks for All of Us’: Santos Tour Down Under to Start with Tribute to Melissa Hoskins

Women’s Tour Down Under

Also read:  Pro Cycling Kits: Here’s What all the WorldTour Teams are Wearing in 2024

Men’s Tour Down Under

Streaming and live tv — 2024 tour down under, usa and canada.

• Peacock (USA)
• FloBikes (Canada)
• L’Équipe (France)  
• TV 2 (Denmark)
• rtve (Spain)

Asia Pacific and Oceania

• J Sports (Japan)
• zhibo.tv (China)

New Zealand

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What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France? Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view.

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Tour Down Under 2024 Route stage 2: Norwood - Lobethal

The route climbs from the start to Ashton. The 10 kilometres long ascent slopes at 5% and after moving through the town west of Adelaide the route continues on undulating terrain.

The race comes down to three passes of a 35 kilometres loop that encompasses Kenton Valley, Gumeracha and Cudlee Creek. Each time, the punchy climb on Fox Creek Road throws in 1.6 kilometre at 8.8% and ramps up to 18%. The last passage at the top happens with 8 kilometres to go before a rolling section leads to a 2 kilometres descent and the last 1.5 kilometres on the flat.

Two intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds each, while the first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 2 2024 Tour Down Under.

Another interesting read: live race report 2nd stage 2024 Tour Down Under.

Tour Down Under 2024 stage 2: route, profile, more

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Streaming this week on 7plus: santos tour down under, nfl divisional round, summer of surf.

Nick Kyrgios explains Australian Open withdrawal

Every kilometre of the Santos Tour Down Under is live and free on 7plus with the final stage of the women’s event on Tuesday followed by the first of five stages of the men’s competition on Wednesday.

The second week of the NFL playoffs get underway with the Divisional Round with all four games streaming live on 7plus.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Nick Kyrgios explains Australian Open withdrawal.

In addition, the Summer of Surf returns for its first event of 2023 with the Manly Open Surf Classic from New South Wales on Saturday afternoon.

Check out the full lineup for this week below.

NFL - Wild Card Round: Cowboys @ Buccaneers 12:00pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Women’s Let’s Go Motorhomes Stage 3 (Adelaide to Campbelltown) 12:30pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Men’s efex Prologue 6:00pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Men’s Ziptrak Stage 1 (Tanunda to Tanunda) 12:00pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Men’s Oakley Stage 2 (Brighton to Victor Harbour) 12:00pm AEDT

Horse Racing – Magic Millions Raceday 3:00pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Men’s Hahn Stage 3 (Norwood to Campbelltown) 12:00pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Men’s THINK! Road Safety Stage 4 (Port Willunga to Willunga Township) 12:00pm AEDT

Summer of Surf - Manly Open Surf Classic 1:00pm AEDT

NFL – Divisional Round: Jaguars @ Chiefs 8:25am AEDT

NFL – Divisional Round: Giants @ Eagles 12:00pm AEDT

Road Cycling - Santos Tour Down Under: Men’s Schwalbe Stage 5 (Unley to Mount Lofty) 12:00pm AEDT

Sprintcars - Speedweek Final Rapid Replay 6:00pm AEDT

NFL –Divisional Round: Bengals @ Bills 6:55am AEDT

NFL –Divisional Round: Cowboys @ 49ers 10:30am AEDT

Bouzkova fuming at screaming Andreescu.

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Sam Welsford wins 3rd stage of Tour Down Under, Del Toro Romero retains overall lead

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ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Sam Welsford followed up his win in the first stage by winning the third stage of the Tour Down Under cycling race Thursday while Isaac del Toro Romero of Mexico retained the overall lead with three stages remaining.

The 145-kilometer (90-mile) stage from Tea Tree Gully to Campbelltown was set up for the sprinters and Welsford prevailed in a bunch sprint, with perfect support and lead-out work by his Bora Hansgrohe teammates.

The stage undulated through the Adelaide Hills with climbs at Tea Tree Gully and at the Whispering Wall. It then concluded with a sometimes sharp descent down the Gorge Road to a long, straight finish in Campbelltown.

Bora Hansgrohe moved into a strong position at the front of the peloton near the end of the descent. Ryan Mullen provided the early lead-out, then peeled away for Danny van Poppel to again guide Welsford into a winning position.

“Another (stage win), this is super crazy,” Welsford said. “To get one let alone two is super special.

“These guys (in Bora Hansgrohe) are really special. Full commitment down the gorge and the whole day GC guys were pushing for me. It was an incredible ride and I’m riding a wave right now.”

Former stage winner Elia Viviani of Italy, riding for British team Ineos Grenadiers, finished strongly for second and Britain’s Daniel McLay was third for Arkea-B&B Hotels for France.

Del Toro held a two-second lead on general classification after winning the second stage Wednesday and he retained that margin over Corbin Strong of New Zealand while Axel Mariault of France moved up to third.

Biniam Girmay of Eritrea was pushed back in a crowded finish and is now seventh overall while Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan is 10th.

The first climb on Wednesday came soon after the start and Australian Luke Burns made an early breakaway and picked up maximum points to extend his lead as King of the Mountain.

He was supported by his teammate Tristan Saunders and when Burns dropped back into the peloton Saunders, Mariault and Stefan de Bon stayed away in front until they were drawn back in less than 40 kilometers from the finish.

Riders passed Lyndoch, Mt. Pleasant and Cuddly Creek and the stage peaked around 300 meters above sea level. There followed the long descent towards the finish.

A crash in the middle of peloton which took out Australian national champion Luke Plapp hampered some riders, then teams vied for control before the sprint finish.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Tour Down Under 2023: Michael Matthews on warpath after losing chain following contact in peloton

New leader of the Tour Down Under Rohan Dennis says his first defence of the ochre jersey will be the one that decides the race as pre-race favourite Michael Matthews raged against the cyclist he felt cost him his chances of overall victory.

A furious Matthews confronted INEOS Grenadier’s young American after the second stage of the TDU , a 154.8km course from Brighton to Victor Harbor, that was won by Dennis.

The Jayco-AlUla rider was just six seconds off the ochre jersey at the start of the day, and got this to within three seconds after claiming more bonus time on the two sprints.

But disaster happened for the Australian gun when he lost his chain following contact with just 22.2km to go on the stage and 1.2km to go on the crucial Nettle Hill climb.

Matthews confronted Sheffield, who apologised to the Australian post race, and was filthy when speaking to media at the finish line.

“I was in a great position, the team rode really good all day,” he said.

“I got some time back there on the GC guys and we came to the final climb and I just don’t really know what is happening with cycling these days.

“There is just no respect from the bunch, I was in a great position and got hit from one side and got hit from the other side and yeah dropped my chain and it got stuck between the chain and the front crank and I couldn’t make it back.”

While it was frustration for Matthews it was elation for Jumbo-Visma rider Dennis as the Adelaide local thrilled the crowd at Victor Harbor on a thrilling stage.

The 2015 TDU winner emerged victorious when a bunch of five riders, including 2022 Giro D’Italia winner Jai Hindley, made a move at the top of the Nettle Hill climb and held off the peloton all the way to the finish.

Dennis’ attack within the final kilometre means he now leads fellow Australian Jay Vine by three seconds.

But with the toughest stage of this year’s Tour to come on the Friday, a 116km stage that includes three big climbs — with the final the notorious Corkscrew with a max gradient of 18.9 per cent — Dennis said his first defence of the ochre jersey will be the vital one.

“It is a big day, we will see how Jay is climbing we saw that he was really strong and he was the one really pushing that break as much as possible,” he said.

“So let’s hope that I can be within striking distance within the top and can come back.

“I’ll be watching him and not stressing too much if he gets a gap, there is always a bit of time after the top but I don’t want to give him too much.

“It is much more a Jay Vine climb than a Rohan Dennis climb.”

Vine forecasted more attacks on Dennis on Friday.

“I’d say that is probably fair enough,” the UAE Emirates rider said.

His hopes of claiming the Tour Down Under could have been in tatters when he was forced from the road and almost into a parked car that had him seeing his “life flash before (his) eyes” in the final kilometres in Tanunda.

But Australian Michael Matthews is instead right in the hunt for the overall honours after clawing back eight seconds in time bonuses on stage 1.

The Jayco-AlUla gun is considered to be one of the favourites for the ochre jersey at the TDU but the wet weather that hit the race’s opening prologue on Tuesday evening meant Matthews started Wednesday’s 149.9km first stage in the Barossa Valley 14 seconds behind Italian Alberto Bettiol of EF Education – Easypost.

However after the first stage of the race to and from Tanunda the 32-year-old known as “Bling” is now just six seconds off Bettiol as he reeled in the Italian by claiming time bonuses after he finished second on the two intermittent sprints and third on the stage to claw back eight seconds.

“I think it is pretty obvious what our goal was today, to get as many time bonuses as we could whether through the stage or on the final sprint,” Matthews said.

“Last night we gave away a bit of time … I think we made up for that today.”

Matthews had already made up four seconds going into the final kilometres of the race, but nearly encountered disaster in the dying stages as the riders approached the Tanunda finish.

Not only did he drop his chain but he was forced from the road as riders jostled for position and onto the dirt, narrowly dodging a parked ute on the side of the road.

“That wasn’t very fun, I sort of just got pushed from my left to the right side of the road and unfortunately had to jump onto the dirt and find my way back on,” he said.

“It was a scary moment, I also dropped my chain so I lost a couple of places so I had to move back up again and get back onto my team and do my sprint.

“Yeah you sort of see your life flash before your eyes (seeing a parked car approaching) but you can’t really think too much about it, you know what your job is to be there at the final.

“I just knew I needed to get back onto the road, get my chain back on and get to the front.”

German Phil Bauhaus of Bahrain Victorious won the stage in a sprint ahead of Australia’s Caleb Ewan and Matthews.

For the second straight day there were multiple crashes.

Pre-race contender Patrick Bevan of Team DSM was caught up in an early one and still feeling the impacts of one he suffered on Saturday abandoned the race.

There were multiple crashes on the stage including in the final sprint that prevented Bettiol from being able to take part in the final sprint.

The Italian suggested that a lack of experience in the peloton contributed to the multiple crashes on what should have been an easy day.

“The average age of the peloton is getting smaller and smaller and in general in January we crash more in other months because everyone is excited, maybe they have changed team and want to show how good they are, especially the sprinters,” he said.

“It is normal, maybe we lost some respect in the peloton but it is pretty normal.”

Matthews and Jayco-AlUla will be looking to get more time bonuses on Thursday’s stage 2, a 154.8km course from Brighton to Victor Harbor.

Thursday’s stage is another one that is largely flat before riders encounter the hardest of this year’s Tour on stage 3, with testing climbs on Norton Summit, Checker Hill and the notorious Corkscrew.

Matthews said he was unsure just how much time he would need to gain on Thursday ahead of the tough stage 3.

“We will just take it day-by-day, if there are time bonuses available on the road we will try and take them,” he said.

“I’m also confident on the Corkscrew that I can get over.

“If the other teams are going to let us take those time bonuses’ then we are going to take them and we will see when it comes to Corkscrew what we have left.”

One of the riders considered to be a main contender for overall honours at the Tour Down Under has abandoned the race.

Team DSM’s Patrick Bevin was touted as a one of the challenges for the ochre jersey as the TDU returned after a two-year hiatus.

But he abandoned the race early on in the first stage in the Barossa Valley following a crash on the 149.9km stage.

The New Zealander also crashed in the TDU’s curtain raiser, the Schwalbe Classic, on Saturday and had been dealing with the impacts from that.

Bevin abandoning the race on the first stage continues a horror run of luck for the 31-year-old in the TDU.

He held the race lead for four days in 2019 but crashed heavily on stage 5.

Bevin continued to race but was helpless as South African Daryl Impey claimed the race victory on Willunga Hill.

HINDLEY SAYS IT’S ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ FOR FRANCE

Australia’s reigning Giro D’Italia winner Jai Hindley has confirmed that he is aiming for a crack at the Tour de France this year saying the route for the 2023 race “doesn’t get much better than that for a rider like me”.

Hindley became the first Australian to win the Giro and just the second behind the legendary Cadel Evans to win a Grand Tour when he triumphed in Italy last year .

Almost immediately since the 26-year-old won the Giro the question has been is a crack at the yellow jersey in France next for the Western Australian.

While he has previously remained coy when asked if he will have a crack at the world’s biggest bike race, Hindley confirmed that he wants to target the Tour on his professional team’s Band of Brothers|BORA-hansgrohe cycling podcast ahead of his 2023 season beginning at the Tour Down Under on Tuesday.

“Full steam for the Tour (de France) would be the ideal plan,” he said when asked what his schedule looks like for 2023.

“So we’ll see how it’s all going for that.

“But yeah, it would be a dream come true to do the Tour.”

BORA won’t make a call on whether Hindley contests the Tour until later this year, but the Australian is already dreaming of an first appearance in France.

“I think the Tour is just the pinnacle of our sport,” he said.

“Everyone goes there with the best team. It is big pressure, all the sponsors are watching that race, everyone watches the Tour.

“It is just massive and I would love to be a part of it.

“I think the Giro is a beautiful race and it is really hard but I’ve started it four-times now and I’ve never done the Tour.

So I think it is pretty natural to want to do the Tour.”

The route for the 2023 Tour is considered to be one more for climbers like Hindley, with four mountaintop finishes scheduled and just one individual time trial.

Hindley agreed.

“If we are looking at the Tour I don’t think the route gets much better than that for a rider like me,” he said.

Hindley’s teammate at BORA Marco Haller said on Tuesday that sending Hindley to chase the yellow jersey in France “would make a lot of sense”.

“In theory looking at the parcours (routes) on the Giro and the Tour the Tour should maybe favour him a bit more,” Haller said.

“But there is still a long way to go, you need to see how you go through spring.

“In my opinion it would make a lot of sense to send Jai to the Tour.”

Haller said that winning the Giro would give Hindley a lot of confidence racing the Tour.

“You also need to have a 100 per cent focus on the Tour but maybe he can go into the Tour a bit more relaxed because he has the Giro victory already,” he said.

“I think a Grand Tour approach is similar to any of them, it doesn’t matter if it is the Giro, the Vuelta (a Espana) or the Tour.”

Hindley is one of Grand Tour winners competing at the Tour Down Under, in its return after a two-year hiatus.

The TDU runs from Tuesday to Sunday.

RAIN OPENS DOOR FOR BETTIOL TO HOLD OCHRE JERSEY

Simeon Thomas-Wilson

The rain came at the worst possible moment for Stuart O’Grady.

For years his predecessor as race director of the Tour Down Under Mike Turtur resisted putting a prologue to open the race because of a fear that too big of a time gap would be opened up for the rest of action.

So O’Grady instead came up with a 5.5km course around the Adelaide Riverbank that in theory shouldn’t open up too much of a time gap in the peloton ahead of Wednesday’s first stage.

But then the rain came.

After Italian Alberto Bettiol of EF Education – Easypost, the fourth man down the ramp, roared around the course the rain began to fall.

So did the riders with six coming off their bike at the technical corner near Jolleys Boathouse just before the final sprint to the finish line.

And as the rain fell heavier, the times got slower and Bettiol sat in the hot seat under an umbrella on the Adelaide Riverbank thanking the weather gods.

“Australia helped me, the weather of Australia helped me,” he said after it was confirmed he would wear the ochre jersey on stage one.

Not even the riders who like Bettiol rode on dry roads were able to get close to his blistering time.

But importantly pre-race favourites such as Jayco-AlUla’s big Australian hope Michael Matthews are now 14 seconds behind Bettiol and INEOS Grenadiers’ Ethan Hayter 19 seconds behind the Italian.

Newly crowned Australian time trial champion Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates, who along with Matthews was 14 seconds off the lead, said it could be crucial seconds.

“It has completely ruined the speed of some of the guys,” he said of the wet course.

“It could have written off a lot of GC hopefuls on day one.

“It is unfortunate for the race but we can’t control the weather … it was a lottery.”

Adelaide’s two-time world time trial champion Rohan Dennis himself was 17 seconds off Bettiol but thought he rode as well as he could in the conditions.

“Yeah I think so, there were maybe a couple of little risks that I’ve taken but it wasn’t worth it,” he said.

Despite the big time gaps to guys such as Matthews and Hayter, Dennis Bettiol was playing down his chances of holding the ochre jersey to Mount Lofty on Sunday.

“I’m still convinced that these guys are the favourites, I’m not a favourite for the race but it is still a pro win,” he said.

American young gun Magnus Sheffield finishing just eight seconds behind him could give the strong INEOS squad something to think about if they want to change their plan from being Hayter for the win.

And there are still time bonuses that sprinters such as Matthews can get across the next couple of days.

If the rain stayed away the prologue would have been a huge success with crowds flocking to the Adelaide Riverbank to welcome back the TDU after a two-year hiatus.

But in a race that has been decided by just seconds on many occasions Bettiol now has a lot up his sleeve.

BETTIOL HOLDS OCHRE JERSEY HEADED WEDNESDAY’S LEG OF TOUR DOWN UNDER

Val Migliaccio

The cycling gods spared Italian Alberto Bettiol from a rain-soaked Santos Tour Down Under prologue at the picturesque Adelaide Riverbank on Tuesday night.

The EF Education-Easypost, Giro D’Italia stage winner avoided the summer rain which turned the time trial into a slippery dip on wheels.

Bettiol will wear the ochre jersey for the Ziptrak stage 1 Tanunda to Tanunda on Wednesday.

“The strategy was a little bit different,’’ Bettiol said.

“I asked the (team) sports director to start first because I think I had enough experience to show my teammates Mikkel Honore and Sean Quinn the better way to cornering and how to time trial.

“In the end, I won and there weren’t a lot of strategies, you must learn to navigate corners and sometimes you need to be lucky.

“For the moment I’ll enjoy this jersey, I like this race and I’ll be really proud to wear it for the Santos Tour Down Under, it’s a prologue and the real race starts (Wednesday).”

Bettiol has an eight-second lead over second-placed Magnus Sheffield from Ineos Grenadiers.

Sheffield will wear the young rider’s jersey on Wednesday.

The Italian earned the leader’s jersey after completing the 5.5km course in 6min 19sec before the heavens opened.

Australia’s Ben O’Connor from French team AG2r Citroen ended his wet time trial in 6min 42sec revealing he is primed to be at his best for the Santos Tour Down Under.

The 27-year-old returns to the race for the fourth time.

O’Connor has been a revelation over the past three years in Europe after finishing fourth overall at the Tour de France in 2021.

“The dream would always be to finish on the podium of Grand Tours, the Tour de France, Giro D’Italia and the Vuelta you have to be the best in the world,’’ O’Connor said.

“It’s not luck and hopefully age can help me improve as well.”

O’Connor is flanked by a team of five Frenchmen including Tour de France and Giro D’Italia stage winner Nans Peters and a Swiss by his side at the Tour Down Under.

The GC and climbing specialist said he could be a chance to claim honours but revealed the short Santos Tour Down Under stages would be challenging.

“If the climbs were longer like from Adelaide city to Mount Lofty that would be perfect,’’ O’Connor said.

“But we’re doing the circuits up there (in the Adelaide Hills), it’s always hilly but not really hard.

“I’ll have to try and make it hard (for rivals) and if it doesn’t work it, doesn’t work.”

O’Connor favours Australian team Jayco AlUla to be at its peak for its home race where its team of six Australian riders include Australian stars Michael Matthews and Chris Harper and English Vuelta a Espana champion Simon Yates.

General Classification top 3

1. Alberto Bettiol – EF Education-Easypost – 6min:19sec

2. Magnus Sheffield – Ineos Grenadiers – 0:08

3. Julius Johansen – Intermarche-Circus-Wanty 0.10

BROWN REELS IN SPRATT TO WIN WOMEN’S TOUR DOWN UNDER

Australia’s Grace Brown surged home to overhaul compatriot Amanda Spratt at the finish of the third stage and win the women’s Tour Down Under on Tuesday in scorching conditions.

Brown, the world time trial silver medallist, reeled in three-time TDU winner Spratt on the seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) descent off the punishing Corkscrew climb to claim the final stage and become the first World Tour winner of the event.

Spratt, who was bidding to add to her 2017-19 TDU wins, held a 20-second gap over Brown after a draining climb up the brutal 24.5 per cent gradient of the Corkscrew.

But she couldn’t hold off the sprinter Brown in the downhill dash to the finish line outside Adelaide.

“I am really pleased. The team did an awesome job today,” Brown said. “They led me out into the final climb and I knew Amanda was going to be really good on the Corkscrew.

“But I just kept her within distance, knowing that I could potentially catch her on the descent, and was able to do it.” Brown, leading the French FDJ-Suez team, won the general classification by 10 seconds from Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) with New Zealand’s Georgia Williams (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) on 19 seconds.

Spratt, fighting back from a condition which narrows the artery and restricts blood flow to the legs, was rated the one to beat in the gruelling final stage because of her hill-climbing reputation.

And Spratt, who trailed Brown by six seconds going into the final day, looked on course to win the stage and take the ochre leader’s jersey with her commanding lead at the top of the Corkscrew.

But she succumbed to Brown’s superior sprinting qualities.

“We sure are making women’s cycling exciting, aren’t we?” Spratt said. “I don’t have many regrets. My team rode amazingly well, we had a plan, they positioned me perfectly for the Corkscrew and I attacked it the way I wanted.

“It’s never nice when you know that Grace Brown is chasing you on a downhill like that, I was hoping I would get there, but she was too strong at the finish.” Overnight race leader Alexandra Manly (Team Jayco-AlUla) dropped well back on the unforgiving climb and finished 40 seconds behind to lose her chance of making the final race.

1. Grace Brown (AUS/FDJ-Suez) 2hr 37min 11sec

2. Amanda Spratt (AUS/Trek-Segafredo) at 0sec

3. Georgia Williams (NZL/EF Education-Tibco-SVB) 13sec

4. Danielle De Francesco (AUS/Zaaf Cycling Team)

5. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS/Team Jayco-AlUla)

1. Grace Brown (AUS/FDJ-Suez) 8hr 3min 29sec

2. Amanda Spratt (AUS/Trek-Segafredo) at 10sec

3. Georgia Williams (NZL/EF Education-Tibco-SVB) 19sec

4. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS/Team Jayco-AlUla) 28sec

5. Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA/EF Education-Tibco-SVB) 29sec

MANLY TAKES DOWN THREE-TIME CHAMP IN ‘BRUTAL’ FINISH

Australia’s Alexandra Manly (Team Jayco-AlUla) overhauled solo breakaway Amanda Spratt to take the hilly stage two and claim the ochre leader’s jersey in the women’s Tour Down Under on Monday.

Three-time TDU winner Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) attempted to steal the stage with a lung-busting attack up Mount Lofty 10 kilometres from the finish of the 90km Birdwood to Uraidla leg in the opening World Tour event of the season in scorching temperatures.

But Manly reeled in Spratt in a sprint finish ahead of New Zealand’s Georgia Williams (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Dutch rider Nina Buijsman (Human Powered Health).

Manly will take an eight-second lead over Williams for her home-based team into Tuesday’s third and final Adelaide to Campbelltown stage over 93.2kms, featuring the demanding slopes of the ‘Corkscrew’.

“I was perfectly looked after by my team all day, and I am just so thankful to do this in my own backyard,” Manly said.

“I know that part of the road is always painful even when you go on a training ride so I was just making sure I had the momentum and, of course, Spratty was going to take the opportunity to attack.

“I don’t have the same legs as Spratty on the climb so me being there forced the others to chase a bit and eventually I used the descent to try and bridge back some time.”

Manly, 26, took four stage wins last year and the overall title at the Internationale LOTTO Thuringen Ladies Tour along with her first World Tour victory at the Tour of Scandinavia.

Spratt, one of the leading contenders for this year’s TDU, powered up Mt Lofty trying to pinch a winning break but was just unable to hold on to finish 10th in the stage and lie 14 seconds behind Manly heading into the final stage.

“It’s brutal, but that’s sport. I got a really good gap and felt great on the climb,” noted hill-climber Spratt said.

“It was fun being able to attack like that again, I haven’t been able to do that in a few years, so I will take a lot of confidence out of that.

“I’ve got one more day to chase that leader’s jersey now.”

Compatriot Grace Brown, leading the French FDJ-Suez team, is another well in contention after her fifth-place finish to be third overall, eight seconds down.

1. Alexandra Manly (AUS/Team Jayco-AlUla) 2hr 23min 33sec

2. Georgia Williams (NZL/EF Education-Tibco-SVB) at 0sec

3. Nina Buijsman (NED/Human Powered Health)

5. Grace Brown (AUS/FDJ-Suez)

1. Alexandra Manly (AUS/Team Jayco-AlUla) 5hr 26min 20sec

2. Georgia Williams (NZL/EF Education-Tibco-SVB) at 8sec

3. Grace Brown (AUS/FDJ-SUEZ)

4. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS/Team Jayco-AlUla) 13sec

5. Amanda Spratt (AUS/Trek-Segafredo) 14sec

Poland’s Daria Pikulik rode powerfully in a bunch sprint finish to claim the first stage of Australia’s Women’s Tour Down Under outside Adelaide on Sunday.

Pikulik (Human Powered Health) surged through an opening for her first World Tour stage win from France’s Clara Copponi (FDJ-Suez) and Australia’s Georgia Baker (Team Jayco-AlUla) at the end of the 110.4-kilometre Glenelg to Aldinga stage.

“I didn’t expect to win today, this is my first World Tour race and my first race with my new team,” Pikulik said.

“I can’t believe I win today. I’m just a Polish girl making the dream come true.” With time bonuses Pikulik will take the leader’s jersey into Monday’s more hilly 90-km second stage from Birdwood to Uraidla.

“Daria Pikulik is our triple podium star,” her team tweeted. “Stage victory, Leader’s jersey, Sprints jersey. Not a bad return for your first road race in #HumanPoweredHealth colours.”

The three-stage Women’s TDU now forms part of the UCI World Tour, with points on offer.

Pikulik, predominantly a track rider, used her powerful sprint finish to take the stage after the peloton reeled in a two-strong breakaway comprising Australians Isabelle Carnes (Ara Skip Capital) and Gina Ricardo (Team Bridgelane) with 10km to the finish line.

Leading Australian contender Amanda Spratt, who has won the TDU for three consecutive years (2017-2019) finished fifth in the opening stage for her Trek-Segafredo team.

Spratt lies eighth overall, 10 seconds down going into the second stage. Another prominent local contender, Grace Brown, leading the French FDJ-Suez team, is fourth overall after the first stage, seven seconds down on the leader.

After Baker’s third-place finish, her Team Jayco AlUla tweeted: “A big effort on a hard and windy day, the squad back Baker for the finish and she rounds out the podium with 3rd on what was a fast and frantic dash to the line.”

– Val Migliaccio

Australian sprint superstar Caleb Ewan claimed the Schwalbe Classic in a front of a raucous city crowd on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old was roared over the Flinders Street finish line an hour, two minutes and 37 seconds after the start gun was fired before the official Santos Tour Down Under WorldTour race season starts.

Ewan, a nine-time Tour Down under stage winner, used his incredible power to rise to the top of the peloton ahead of some of the finest bike riders the Tour Down Under has seen since its inception in 1999.

With Ewan lapping up the win, Australia’s Grand Tour winner Jai Hindley stayed out of trouble in a race tailor-made for sprint guns.

Hindley’s incredible Giro D’Italia 2022 win has seen the Australian superstar remain ice cool ahead of the new 2023 UCI WorldTour season.

The West Australian is just the second Australian to win a Grand Tour in more than 100 years of the toughest stage racing on the planet after Cadel Evans claimed the Tour de France title in 2011.

“Last time I was at the TDU (Tour Down Under) I wasn’t at the press conference,’’ Hindley said with tongue in cheek.

“I’ll put it to you like that, same old, and the Aussie crowd and all the fans, I don’t buy into it, I have my own ambitions.”

Hindley last raced at the Tour Down Under WorldTour in 2020 under the wing of Team Sunweb and the watch of South Australia’s Luke Roberts.

Hindley during the height of Covid in 2020 just missed out on GC at the Giro D’Italia.

He finished 18th overall at the Tour Down Under in 2020 and 2019 after making his debut at the event for UniSA where he finished 25th in 2017.

Bora-hansgrohe’s Hindley is the absolute Australian men’s standout for the WorldTour race which starts with a prologue for the first time in race history on Tuesday night.

The winner of the time trial at the Adelaide Riverbank will also win and wear the ochre leader’s jersey for the Ziptrak Stage 1 Tanunda to Tanunda on Wednesday.

Race director Stuart O’Grady’s WorldTour debut will come to fruition after the two-time Tour Down Under champion has attracted arguably the most exciting peloton in the history of the race.

Hindley, 26, leads the Australian pack, followed by super Grand Tour champions Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, and slick Australian gun Michael Matthews.

O’Grady was stoked by the presence of some of the biggest names in world cycling in Adelaide in 2023.

“I’d like to think the guys are happy to be here,’’ O’Grady said.

“I know personally how important it is to be in Adelaide for the racing to get that build up that makes it easier for you for the rest of the season.

“I found that out for myself (as a professional rider).

“And I’m privileged and proud to be sitting up with them and very, very grateful, that they have made a commitment to be here.”

KIWI CLAIMS HISTORIC VICTORY IN WOMEN’S SCHWALBE CLASSIC

Ally Wollastan from Team New Zealand claimed the women’s Schwalbe Classic on the eve of the historic maiden women’s Santos Tour Down Under WorldTour on Monday.

Wollastan, 22, raced to victory in a bunch sprint finish on Flinders Street on the city street circuit on Saturday night.

The day’s scorching 38C temperature was met with strong southerly winds in the early evening which favoured attacks as Wollastan – after a second place in New Zealand’s 2022 national road titles – was too strong over the line.

Jayco UlULa’s Georgie Howe led from the front early in the race in a snapshot of what’s in store for fans in the Ziptrak Stage 1 from Glenelg to Aldinga from 11.30am on Monday.

The crit racing seemingly pleased Santos Tour Down Under assistant race director Annette Edmondson.

“We have been very hungry to get back racing, we’re ready to get involved in the WorldTour peloton, a major moment for Australian cycling,” Edmondson said.

She was ecstatic on the eve of the Tour Down Under making its UCI WorldTour debut to open the 2023 season across the globe.

Seven years after Edmondson featured at the UCI’s 2.2 event before women would receive the same prize money as the men’s WorldTour stars in SA in 2018, the race was last year upgraded to the highest-level professional racing on the planet for the first time.

Edmondson and fellow assistant Tour Down Under race director Carlee Taylor are expected to have an extremely busy and enjoyable three days of first-class racing joining race director Stuart O’Grady.

Stage 2 features Birdwood to Uraidla.

The Let’s Go stage 3 leaves from the Torrens Footbridge in the city before culminating with a fast finish on the Montacute Road, Campbelltown finish line.

And current Australian national road champion Brodie Chapman is confident in her teammates’ ability to challenge for major prizes during the three-stage race as she prepares for another blast of scorching 38C on Tuesday.

“With the heat, it’s about monitoring yourself, I’d like to think it’s like racing at altitude,’’ Chapman said.

“We’ve got a team of experts helping us out.”

“I like to pre-cool as much as possible, take a cold shower before I go out riding, try to drink all my liquid calories, wet the body, and get out of the sun as soon as possible.”

And wearing the road champion national colours at the WorldTour for the entire season for the first time in her career is monumental for the climbing specialist.

“It’s definitely as special as you would imagine wearing the national champion jersey,’’ Chapman said.

“The jersey itself is not always a thing that’s guaranteed in your career and to be able to race at the Tour Down Under and the first race here after Covid, it’s very special and it’s not lost on me.”

How to watch the 2024 Tour Down Under – live streaming

The best way to watch all the action from the WorldTour and Women's WorldTour opener

• USA & Canada
• Around the world

Road racing is back! The new season draws closer with the return of the Tour Down Under , the 2024 WorldTour opener, which runs from January 16-21.

The 2024 Women's WorldTour also gets underway this month, with the Women's Tour Down Under running from January 12-14.

Cyclingnews will have all the race reports, analysis and news in the lead-up, during, and after the races as a host of big names head to Australia to kick off the new season.

The Tour Down Under will be broadcast live around Europe and the rest of the world – you can find out how to watch the race wherever you are with our handy guide and with ExpressVPN .

Men's Tour Down Under 2024 Women's Tour Down Under 2024 'It's a year to rebuild and find my feet again' – Caleb Ewan starts over at Jayco-AlUla The 2024 WorldTour starts here – A guide to Australia's pro cycling festival

In the men's six-day race which features the famous Willunga Hill finish on stage 5, look out for top riders including Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla), Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty).

Home favourites in the men's race include Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AlUla), Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe), and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious).

Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) is back to defend her title in the women's three-day race. She'll be joined at the French team by Evita Muzic and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig.

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Other big names at the start line include Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM), and Liv-Jayco-AlUla pairing Alexandra Manly, Ruby Roseman-Gannon.

Check out our full guide to all the racing in Australia here , and read on for all the information on how to watch the action.

How to watch the Tour Down Under in the USA & Canada

The men's and women's Tour Down Under will be aired by FloBikes across North America. A subscription will set you back US$149.99 / CAN$150 for the year or US$29.99 / CAN$29.99 on a monthly basis.

NBC and its streaming service PeacockTV will also be airing both races in the USA.

How to watch the Tour Down Under in the UK

In the UK, live coverage of both races will continue to be broadcast via Eurosport and Discovery+ – with the same commentators that featured on GCN+.

A 'standard' subscription to Discovery+ which includes Eurosport's cycling coverage will set you back £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. The package includes year-round cycling streams as well as other live sports including snooker, tennis, motorsports, the Paris Olympic Games, and more.

A premium subscription, which includes all that plus TNT Sports (Premier League, Champions League and Europa League football plus rugby, wrestling, UFC, and MotoGP) costs an additional £29.99 per month.

How to watch the Tour Down Under around the world

Australian live coverage will be available via the Seven Network .

Eurosport hold the coverage rights for various countries around Europe and Asia. If you're in France, Denmark and Spain then you can look to L'Equipe , TV2 , and RTVE respectively.

Best VPN for streaming live cycling

If you are outside of your home region and need to access your live streaming services to watch the Tour Down Under, you may find your access to be geo-restricted.

In this case, a VPN service will come in handy, allowing your computer to pretend it's home and let you log into your streaming accounts to catch all of the racing action.

Our colleagues at TechRadar thoroughly tested several VPN services and came up with a few great recommendations below.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up.

Try the 12-month plan for the best value price.

There are a couple other very good options that are safe, reliable and offer good bandwidth for streaming sports. Check out the best two options below - NordVPN and the best budget option, Surfshark .

NordVPN - get the world's favorite VPN We've put all the major VPNs through their paces and we rate NordVPN as the best for streaming Netflix as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use and strong security features. It's also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.

Tour Down Under schedule

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

'I know I can do better' – Demi Vollering moves on from Classics, focuses on Vuelta Femenina

Itzulia Women past winners

POC Aspire cycling glasses review: A sturdy and stylish modern classic

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Preview Tour Down Under 2024 | Dutch powerhouses, two top favorites, and lots of young talent!

Ta-da! Here we are: the first official road race for men in 2024, and immediately a WorldTour category event. A portion of the peloton embarks on the annual journey to Australia for the Tour Down Under in the southern part of the country, and this season brings a different flavor with IDLProCycling.com hopping through it!

The average cycling enthusiast acknowledges that the Tour Down Under has secured its position in the global cycling landscape. However, in 2024, it is still perceived as a prelude to what lies ahead. This sentiment is honestly reflected in the winners of the last decade—with the exception of the two corona editions, all victors hailed from Australia (Vine, Porte, Gerrans, and Dennis) or rode for the GreenEdge formation (Impey).

The most recent winner with no direct connection to the land of koalas and kangaroos is Tom-Jelte Slagter from the Dutch town of Groningen. He clinched victory in the 2013 edition, making him the sole Dutchman to ever triumph in the race. Notably, no Belgian cyclist graced the podium between 1999 and 2023.

Practical information Tour Down Under 2024

• Tuesday, Jan. 16 - Sunday, Jan. 21
• Participants
• Classification: WorldTour

In this article:

• Latest winners
• Course and times
• TV information

Latest winners Tour Down Under

2023 Jay Vine

2022 Not ridden

2021 Not ridden

2020 Richie Porte

2019 Daryl Impey

2018 Daryl Impey

2017 Richie Porte

2016 Simon Gerrans

2015 Rohan Dennis

2014 Simon Gerrans

Tour Down Under 2024: course, favorites daily wins and times

Stage 1, tuesday, january 16, 2024: tanunda - tanunda (144 km).

This year's Tour Down Under will not commence with a prologue, as was the case last year. A slight disappointment for participants Joshua Tarling and Filippo Ganna, but in this edition, we kick off with a stage in and around Tanunda, a recurring venue for the Australian stage race. Featuring Menglers Hill along the route and a slightly uphill finish, Tanunda typically favors power sprinters, with Phil Bauhaus, Sam Bennett, and André Greipel emerging as the victors in the last three editions held in Tanunda.

31.5 km: Menglers Hill (2.1 km a 4%)

81.0 km: Menglers Hill (2.1 km a 4%)

130.5 km: Menglers Hill (2.1 km a 4%)

Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious)

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)

Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla)

Start: 11:10 a.m. (01:40 a.m. Dutch time)

Finish: 2:52 p.m. (05:22 a.m. Dutch time)

Stage 2, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024: Norwood - Lobethal (141.6 km)

On day two, the riders are immediately confronted with a sort of transition stage, featuring more than 2,400 altimeters in 141 kilometers. The route kicks off with an immediate climb towards Ashton, and three additional ascents of Fox Creek (1.6 kilometers at 8 percent) lie ahead, with a final one in the last ten kilometers. Is it too challenging for the sprinters and too gentle for the true climbers?

10.0 km: Ashton (10 km a 4%)

63.5 km: Fox Creek (1.6 km a 8%)

98.5 km: Fox Creek (1.6 km a 8%)

Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech)

Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe)

Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers)

Stage 3, Thursday, January 18, 2024: Tea Tree Gully - Campbelltown (145.3 km)

On day three, another challenging start awaits, this time at Tea Tree Gully. The initial two kilometers feature a steep uphill section, but that's the most demanding part. Similar to last year, the route leads towards Mount Pleasant, though not from the steeper side. Sprinters are likely to come to the forefront in Campbelltown.

2.1 km: Tea Tree Guly Hill (2.1 km a 6%)

34.5 km: Whispering Wall (1.6 km a 2%)

Sam Welsford (BORA-hansgrohe)

Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ)

Finish: 2:49 p.m. (05:19 a.m. Dutch time)

Stage 4, Friday, January 19, 2024: Murray Bridge - Port Elliot (136.2 km)

The fourth stage is unquestionably the easiest leg of this year's Tour Down Under, with only 481 meters of elevation gain. The destination is Port Elliot, situated on the South Australian coast. Could the wind possibly play a role in the dynamics of the stage?

86.0 km: Gemmell Hill (4.2 km a 4%)

Finish: 2:48 p.m. (05:18 a.m. Dutch time)

Stage 5, Saturday, January 20, 2024: Christies Beach - Willunga Hill (129.3 km)

There's Willunga Hill! For years, it was the focal point of the Tour Down Under, but it took a hiatus last season. In the 2024 edition, however, the well-known hill near Adelaide is 'just' back, and with its three-kilometer length and average gradient of seven percent, it will undoubtedly leave its imprint on the course of the race once more.

106.5 km: Willunga Hill (3 km a 7%)

129.3 km: Willunga Hill (3 km a 7%)

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)

Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla)

Finish: 2:31 p.m. (05:01 a.m. Dutch time)

Stage 6, Sunday, January 21, 2024: Unley - Mount Lofty (128.2 km)

Last season, the Tour Down Under witnessed its first decisive moments on Mount Lofty. However, this season, the organizers are taking it a step further with the Willunga-Lofty combo. While the summit provides a stunning view of Adelaide, the competing riders won't have the luxury to savor it. Mount Lofty has to be conquered three times, and the finish is set atop this challenging ascent.

3.8 km: Windy Point (3.8 km a 6%)

70.5 km: Mount Lofty (1.3 km a 8%)

98.5 km: Mount Lofty (1.3 km a 8%)

128.2 km: Mount Lofty (1.3 km a 8%)

Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious)

Milan Vader (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Favorites final classification Tour Down Under 2024

Anyone perusing the start list for the Tour Down Under will notice two standout figures in terms of achievements. Firstly, there's grand tour winner Simon Yates , leading the home team Jayco AlUla—a squad that is imperative in this race, including the freshly crowned Australian champion Luke Plapp.

The second notable presence is Julian Alaphilippe , a two-time world champion and a prolific winner for Soudal Quick-Step. The Frenchman is entering the Year of Truth and could kick it off strongly Down Under, on a course that should particularly suit his style. Can he leave a lasting impression on team manager Patrick Lefevere and other teams?

Apart from these names, the start list is brimming with young talent. UAE-Team Emirates has paired experienced riders Diego Ulissi and Alessandro Covi with emerging stars like Isaac del Toro (Tour de l'Avenir winner), Antonio Morgado, and Finn Fisher-Black . Meanwhile, Visma | Lease a Bike Baby has flown in Giro winner Johannes Staune-Mittet to Australia. Milan Vader is expected to lead the charge for this lineup, with the support of Robert Gesink and Koen Bouwman.

Jonathan Narváez can rely on the support of INEOS hard riders Filippo Ganna and Joshua Tarling, along with the preliminary criterium winner, top talent Leo Hayter. In that race, he fended off challenges from Oscar Onley , the leader of DSM-Firmenich PostNL, among others. We place them in the same category in terms of chances as riders like Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar), and Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech)—all riders who have demonstrated excellence in similar races before. Guerreiro has Gonzalo Serrano alongside him at Movistar, while Williams leads a formidable team with George Bennett, Derek Gee, Nick Schultz, and Corbin Strong, among others.

Lidl-Trek brings a robust team, including Bauke Mollema, Quinn Simmons, Juan Pedro López, Mathias Vacek, and Natnael Tesfatsion, without a clear leader immediately evident. As for outsiders, we are also keeping an eye on Franck Bonnamour (Decathlon AG2R), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Roger Adria (BORA-hansgrohe), Jason Osborne (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Samuele Battistella, Cristian Scaroni (Astana), and Michael Storer (Australian selection).

According to IDLProCycling.com , who are the favorites for the final classification of the 2024 Tour Down Under?

Top favorites: Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)

Outsiders: Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Milan Vader (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Long shots: Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Isaac del Toro, Diego Ulissi, Finn-Fisher-Black (UAE-Team Emirates), Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar), Roger Adria (BORA-hansgrohe), Johannes Staune-Mittet (Visma } Lease a Bike) and Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech)

TV Tour Down Under 2024

The Tour Down Under runs annually at the same time as the Australian Open, which means we won't see the race live on Dutch TV. Eurosport.nl offers the solution with live footage of the race, which can be seen daily in its entirety on that platform and Discovery+ . Arrival is daily around five to six in the Dutch morning.

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• Moscow Tours

Our 20 Best Moscow Tours of 2022

Join us on an unforgettable tour to Moscow, the capital of Russia. Imagine visiting Red Square, St. Basil’s the Kremlin and more. Moscow is one of Europe’s most vibrant cities and one of Russia’s most historical. All of our tours to Moscow are fully customizable and can be adjusted to fit any budget. Our most popular tours are listed below. Please click on the tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our Moscow tours using the form at the side of the page. You can also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists to learn more.

Classic Moscow

This is our most popular Moscow tour that includes all the most prominent sights. You will become acquainted with ancient Russia in the Kremlin, admire Russian art in the Tretyakov Gallery, listen to street musicians as you stroll along the Old Arbat street, and learn about Soviet times on the Moscow Metro tour.

Accommodation

PRIVATE TOUR

A Week in Moscow

This tour is a perfect choice for those who wish to get to know Moscow in depth. One of the highlights of this package is the KGB history tour which gives an interesting perspective on the Cold War. You will also have time for exploring the city on your own or doing extra sightseeing.

Weekend in Moscow

This tour is a great way to get acquainted with the capital of Russia if you are short of time. You will see all the main attractions of the city, the most important of which is the Kremlin - the heart of Russia. The tour starts on Friday and can be combined with a business trip.

Group Tour Moscow Break by Intourist

Russia's capital has so much to offer, from the Kremlin and the Metro to the Old Arbat street and the Tretyakov Gallery. Besides these sites, you will also visit a fascinating country estate which today is quite off the beaten path, Gorky Estate, where the Soviet leader Lenin spent the last months of his life.

Kolomenskoye Tour with transport

The history of Kolomenskoye stretches back for centuries. In 1380, Dmitri Donskoi’s army passed through Kolomenskoye on their way to the Kulikovo battlefield, and it was...

Tours by car

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Armory Tour

The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure, at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city’s former military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury...

Walking tours

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals, Armory, Diamond Fund Tour

Old Arbat walking tour

You will be told of the street’s interesting history and view the street’s artisan culture. You will also have the opportunity to view and purchase souvenirs from the...

Tour to Sergiev Posad with transport

Considered by some to be the Russian Vatican, Sergiev Posad is the temporary residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Trinity St. Sergius Monastery (Lavra)...

Tour to Kuskovo with transport

The Kuskovo Estate often called the Moscow Versailles due to its perfectly preserved French park, is an example of an 18th century, luxurious Moscow summer residence. Its history...

Tour to Tsaritsyno with transport

The Tsaritsyno Estate is located in the southern part of Moscow. The estate was constructed for Catherine the Great by the Russian architects Bazhenov and Kazakov in a romantic...

Moscow Metro and Old Arbat Tour

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union’s achievements for both the Russians...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion and vodka tasting)

Vodka is an important component of Russian life, an element of national identity and everyday culture. We invite you to visit the Vodka Museum and feel the atmosphere of long-gone...

Mikhail Bulgakov Apartment Museum

This apartment museum located close to Patriarch Ponds became the prototype of the "bad apartment" described in the novel "The Master and Margarita." Currently the museum's...

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Diamond Fund Tour

The State Museum of Lev Tolstoy Tour

Take this opportunity to learn more about the Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. During the visit to the museum you will see part of a vast collection of exhibits connected to Tolstoy...

Novodevichy Convent Tour with transport

Tour of the Novodevichy Monastery. Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince VasiliIoanovich, the original convent was enclosed by fortified walls and contained 12 towers. The structure...

City Tour with Visit to St. Basils & Red Sq. with transport

Panoramic City Tour. This Moscow tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will...

City Tour of Moscow

Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous...

Moscow Metro walking tour

Kremlin, Red Square and Cathedrals Tour

KGB Tour with transport

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to...

Soviet and Post-Soviet Moscow Tour

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened...

Tretyakov State Gallery Tour

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and...

Jewish Heritage of Moscow Tour

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion only)

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

Tours to Moscow

Our Moscow tours are land only meaning that you arrange your own air travel to Russia and our expert staff meets you at the airport and handles everything else from there. Our online Airline Ticket booking system offers some of the most competitive rates to Russia available on the web so if you need tickets, please visit our Russian air ticket center . Rest assured that you will be taken great care of on one of our Moscow tours. Express to Russia has a fully staffed office in Moscow that will help to make your visit fun, informative and unforgettable. Please remember that of all these tours are private and can be adjusted to your taste. You can add, replace or skip some sights; you can add more days to the package or cut the tour short. Our specialists will be glad to help you create the tour of your dreams!

Moscow, a City Like No Other

Moscow is Russia’s largest city with a population of between 12 and 13 million. It is also Europe’s largest city and when you visit Moscow, you can feel it. The layout and architecture of the city is eclectic, ranging from crooked, ancient streets and alleyways to wide, bustling boulevards, from medieval churches to Stalin skyscrapers and to modern, glass buildings towering over everything and of course in the center of it all is the Kremlin and the magnificent Red Square. Moscow is also home to a fantastic, efficient and very beautiful metro system – each station having its own special design. In fact, Express to Russia’s Moscow metro tours and excursions are some of our most popular attractions that we offer. On our Moscow tours, you will see this and more.

Moscow Tours centering on Russian History

Moscow has a long and interesting history and has been the capital of Russia in many of its different iterations – capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and of course the Soviet Union (who could ever forget the Soviet Union?). Moscow, was founded in the 12th century by Prince Yuri Dolgaruki (Yuri of the long arms – he really did have long arms!). From that time on, it was home to the Russian Tsars until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1703. The city has survived invasions and sieges from the Mongols, the Tartars, the Poles, Lithuanians and Napoleon but has always persevered. Our Moscow tours will enlighten you on this great history and give you insights into Muscovites and their unique culture. Our Moscow tours show you what the city is like today but also brings to life the past. Moscow never seems to sleep and is bursting with energy. A Moscow tour with Express to Russia is truly the best way of getting to know Russia’s largest and most vibrant city.

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

What is the best time to visit moscow.

Any time of year is fine depending on what you plan to do. Summertime is pleasantly warm, ideal for exploring the city and its vibrant atmosphere, but Moscow will be much busier and accommodation is more expensive. Winter can be quite cold but beautiful nonetheless, and this is unproblematic if you intend to spend most of your trip in museums and galleries. There are also various festivals and events organised throughout the year. For more information about the best time to visit, read our guide

How many days are enough in Moscow?

If you plan your itinerary strategically and aren’t averse to a packed schedule, you can cover Moscow’s main sights over a long weekend. Most popular attractions are in the city centre, and the Moscow Metro allows you to cover much ground in a small amount of time. Ensure that your accommodation is fairly central and book tickets in advance, so that you can make the most of your days. For an informative and well-organised day out, check out our Moscow day tours with options to suit all interests.

Do they speak English in Moscow?

As Russia’s capital city, tourists are well accommodated in Moscow. There should be English-speaking staff in restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and attractions in tourist hotspots, and there are also English-speaking tourist police. Transport services have English translations on their maps and English announcements via intercom; alternatively, order taxis from the Yandex Taxi app (Russian Uber), though it’s unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English. If you get stuck and cannot communicate, it’s fine to use Google Translate.

Is it safe to travel to Moscow?

It is no less safe to travel to Moscow than to any European city if you exercise common sense and look after your belongings. As with every city some regions can be more unsavoury than others, but no tourist attractions are located there. The traffic in Moscow is notorious, so exercise caution when crossing roads. Do not take unlicensed taxis; book in advance or take public transport, which is widespread and perfectly safe. If you encounter any problems, look for the special tourist police who can help you. For more information, read our guide about staying safe in Russia .

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Soviet Tour in Moscow

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Description

Highlights:.

• Explore a massive Soviet Park VDNKh (or VVC);
• Experience this special feeling of the good old Soviet times & dark and gloomy Cold War era;
• Get to the highest spot in Moscow city and one of the deepest metro in the world;
• Find out the rough truth about the insane 900-day siege of Leningrad (present St Petersburg);
• Take in the Triumphal Arch;
• Capture an extraordinary sculpture-memorial to the Holocaust;
• Join a guided Bunker-42, Cold War Museum tour (optional, not included in the price).
• See a harmony trio: an orthodox church, a synagogue and a mosque all in one park.

Tour Itinerary

With the 1000-year history, Russia has had a rich portfolio of conflicts, battles, wars. On this Soviet tour, we'll talk about various wars that happened in Russia, focusing on WWII.

Mother Russia has undergone a lot in its long life. Since ancient times, Russian rulers have taken nearly all political power into their own hands. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian oppositional movement was deadly set for the total destruction of the ever-lasting tsarist regime. All of Russia got involved in the bloody revolution of 1917 in an effort to abolish the current state of the government and gain freedom for the ordinary people.

You will learn about the every-day life of the Soviet people during the bloody Second World War with the Nazis, including the legendary Battle for Moscow, the 900-day siege of Leningrad, the hardships that local citizens went through, the consequences of the war and the scars it left on the Soviet people, as well as why the Cold War happened and what was the fundamental reason.

Our mission on the Soviet Russia tour is to find out

• - How much this 1917 revolution cost the people;
• - Whether they actually got the freedom they wanted and was it worth it;
• - What happened over the next 74 years;
• - Who were the main political communist leaders of the Soviet Union;
• - Were Russians happy and satisfied with the Soviet Union?

Our tour itinerary will lie in most Soviet areas of Moscow, which are quite spread throughout the city, as very few of them are left. You can choose how much you are ready to live this Soviet life on a 5, 7 or 10-hour tour. Depending on the duration of the tour, you will see part or all of the places below:

If you want to extend the tour, you are welcome to do so by paying $20/extra hour in cash on the tour.

Time stands still in Red Square. The Red Square is the heart of Moscow (and whole Russia). Saint Basil's Cathedral will make your mouth drop. If it is from May-October, have a cocktail on the outside terrace and simply people watch! The massive square offers so much to enjoy.

Lenin's Mausoleum

The burial place of one of the most influential communist leaders in the world.

Revolution Square Metro Station

Rub the Soviet dog's nose for good luck and admire the 76 bronze sculptures, devoted to the passionate, strong-willed and patriotic Soviet people.

Poklonnaya Hill

The highest point in Moscow, where Napoleon waited for keys of the city.

All-Russian Exhibition Center (VVC)

With its giant arch, amazing fountain, and huge pavilions of different Soviet Republics.

Victory Park Metro Station

The deepest undeground station in Moscow and one of the deepest in the world.

Victory Park

For an open-air museum as big as 135 ha (1 350 000 square meters), Victory park sure doens't lack diversity. The park is dedicated to the Russian victory in WWII, and was laid out in 1995 in commemoration of 50-year anniversary of victory.

Stalin had planned for its construction already in 1941, being sure of victory from the very start of the war.

Greeting Hill

The highest points in Moscow (172 meters), where Napoleon waited for keys of Moscow in vain.

Triumphal Arch

Stunning monument consisting of 12 cast-iron columns, each 12 meters high, and weighing 16 tons. Built to mark Russia's victory over Napoleon in 1812.

Museum of the Great Patriotic War

In the city that is as much about wars as it is about victories, there is one essential stopover - the Museum of the Great Patriotic War (that's what WWII is called in Russia). Must-do for those wishing to understand Russia's past and look at the whole war from the different perspective - Russian.

The museum is not for the faint-hearted. Here you can see films about the partisan experience, the scenes that will haunt you forever (no subtitles, but they are not necessary).

Museum of Contemporary History (from outside only)

We'll have a glance at Russian life of the XX century in the  Museum of Contemporary History , which houses bits of everything from Russian history of XXth century: from English club to a storage of Stalin's presents.

Memorial to the Holocaust,

devastating and breath-taking!

Unleash your inner spy. Highly recommended  Bunker-42 ,  Cold War Museum , explore the place where Khrushchev lived during the Cuban Crisis. Go down 18 floors to a gigantic bunker under Moscow that was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. Watch a short film about the severity of the Cold War. If you lived through the Cold War, you will hardly believe it is possible that you are in Bunker 42!

Wander through  Sparrow Hills  and climb up to the highest observation deck of Moscow with stunning views of all seven Stalin’s skyscrapers, including  Moscow State University . After that, experience the excitement of taking a  river cruise  on the Moscow river and catch the views of the Kremlin and Soviet times.​

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting tour, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

*This WW2 and Cold War tour can be modified to meet your preferences.

Write your review

Money latest: 'One of the most expensive decisions a person can make' could now cost £160,000

New research has revealed the cost of having children. Crisps are on the menu today as we see where you can make healthier choices for the best value. And the boss of Sainsbury's has insisted customers like self-checkouts - do you agree? Leave your thoughts in the box below.

Friday 26 April 2024 13:33, UK

• New research reveals cost of having children
• Sainsbury's boss insists customers like self-checkouts
• FTSE 100 hits another record high
• Halifax hikes mortgage rates - as entire market moves upwards

Essential reads

• Do smart meters actually save you money?
• How to buy the healthiest crisps
• The world of dark tourism - what is it, is it ethical and where can you go?
• Money Problem : I have a mortgage offer - will it change now rates are rising?
• Savings Guide : Why locking into fixed-rate bond could be wise move
• Cheap Eats : Michelin chef's secret lasagne tip - and expensive ingredient you shouldn't use

Ask a question or make a comment

The UK could face a shortage of cava due to a drought in the sparking wine's Spanish heartlands.

The Penedes area of Catalonia is dealing with its worst drought on record, with vineyards across the region so parched the roots of 30-year-old vines have died.

It's left shrivelled red and green grapes languishing under intense sun, fuelled by fossil-fuel driven climate change.

Cava is an increasingly popular drink in the UK, with 17.8 million bottles sold in 2023 - an increase of 5% from the previous year, when Britons stocked up on 16.8 million bottles, according to the Cava Regulatory Board.

That makes the UK the fourth-biggest buyer, behind only the US, Belgium and Germany.

Workforce slashed

The problems have been compounded after Catalonia-based cava producer Freixenet announced it will temporarily lay off 615 workers, almost 80% of its workforce.

Under Spanish law, companies facing exceptional circumstances can lay off staff or reduce working hours.

This measure is expected to take effect from May and it is not known how long it will last.

Price rises

One industry source told retail publication The Grocer  that cava shortages would push up prices "certainly for next year" if there isn't enough supply.

This could last for years if the drought persists, they added.

Consumer expert Helen Dewdney told MailOnline the staff cuts at Freixenet can only mean one thing - price rises.

However, she added, supermarkets say they are not experiencing any issues right now.

Parents are being hammered by rising childcare costs, according to a new study that suggests they may spend more than £160,000 raising their child to the age of 18.

Research by Hargreaves Lansdown has found that parents with children pay £6,969 a year more than couples without.

Over 18 years and assuming an annual inflation rate of 3%, that amounts to a whopping £163,175, the investment platform said.

Its study also found that parents were less likely to have money left at the end of the month.

Single parents carry the biggest burden, with the research suggesting they have just £85 left on average compared to £365 for couples with children.

Hargreaves Lansdown also found just 23% of single parents reported having enough emergency savings to cover at least three months' worth of essential expenses, compared to 63% of couples with children.

Parents are also at a slight disadvantage when it comes to pensions, the research found, with only 43% of couples with children on track for a moderate retirement income, compared to 47% without. Only 17% of single parents have a decent projected pension fund.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at the firm, said "having children is one of the most expensive decisions a person can make".

She adds that as a result of having a child, "financial resilience suffers across the board", and added: "For single parents, life is even tougher, and they face far lower resilience on almost every measure.

"It means we need all the help we can get."

By Daniel Binns, business reporter

One of the top stories shaking up the markets this morning is that UK-based mining company Anglo American has rejected a major $38.8bn (£31bn) takeover bid.

Details of the attempted buyout by Australian rival BHP emerged yesterday  - sending Anglo American shares soaring.

The deal would have created the world's biggest copper mining company - with the news coming as the price of the metal hit record highs this week.

However, Anglo American has now dismissed the proposal as "opportunistic" and said BHP had undervalued the company.

Anglo's shares are slightly down by 0.8% this morning - suggesting investors may not have given up hopes that a deal could eventually be agreed.

However, overall the FTSE 100 is up around 0.4% this morning, buoyed by strong reported earnings from US tech giants Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet.

It's helped the index, of the London Stock Exchange's 100 most valuable companies, hit yet another intraday (during the day) record of 8,136 points this morning.

The winning streak comes after a week of all-time highs on the index - including a record close of 8,078 points yesterday. The score is based on a calculation of the total value of the shares on the index.

Among the companies doing well this morning is NatWest - despite the bank reporting a fall in pre-tax profits of nearly 28% for the first quarter of the year.

Shares in the lender are up more than 3% after its results were better than expected by analysts.

On the currency markets, £1 buys $1.25 US or €1.16, almost on a par with yesterday.

Meanwhile, the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil has crept up slightly to $89 (£71).

Self-checkouts - they're like marmite, people seem to either love them or hate them.

But the boss of Sainsbury's has claimed that his customers do  enjoy using self-checkouts, despite criticism that that machines don't always provide the convenience promised.

Simon Roberts told The Telegraph that there are more of them in Sainsbury's stores "than a number of years ago" as shoppers like the "speedy checkout".

But despite this, he said there won't be a time when they'll replace cashiers completely.

"Over the last year, where we've put more self-checkouts in, we're always making sure that the traditional kind of belted checkout is there," he said.

His comments come after northern supermarket Booths ditched self-checkouts at all but two of its sites after customer feedback. 

Walmart and Costco in the US have also scaled back on the systems.

Let us know in the comments - do you love or hate self-checkouts?

We've all heard consumer advice that's repeated so often it almost becomes cliché. So, every Friday the Money team will get to the bottom of a different "fact" and decide whether it's a myth or must.

This week it is...

'Smart meters save you money'

For this one, we've enlisted the help of Dr Steve Buckley, also known as the Energy Doctor and head of data science at Loop...

So do smart meters help you save? 

"The short answer is both yes and no," Steve says.

"Installing a smart meter by itself won't magically reduce your energy consumption. But, by giving you easy access to your energy usage data, smart meters pave the way for savings that you couldn't achieve otherwise."

Before smart meters, most households only found out how much energy they had used when the bill arrived. 

By that stage it's too late to address wasteful usage, leading to what's known as "bill shock". 

"With a smart meter, you can see your usage and costs in real-time through an in-home display or an app provided by your supplier," Steve says. 

"This immediate feedback encourages you to use less energy. If you measure it, you can control it."

In 2022, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero found that homes with smart meters used about 3.4% less electricity and 3% less gas. 

"This might not seem like a lot, but it adds up to a saving of over £50 per household annually," Steve says.  

If all homes in the UK made similar cuts, that would amount to savings of around £1.5bn and a potential reduction in CO2 emissions by about 2.7m tonnes each year. 

"Good for individual households but also great for the planet," Steve says. 

Smart meters are often installed at no extra cost to the consumer - it's effectively free data for households. 

Limitations

Smart meters are more or less what you make of them - a simple, free tool that allows you to see headline figures. 

However, "without detailed analysis, it's tough to identify and eliminate" where you could be wasting money, Steve says. 

Apps like Utrack, Loop and Hugo Energy can help you work out where you might be losing money by offering a more detailed breakdown if connected to your smart meter. 

Those tools are often free, but you may need to register your card details as proof of address. 

The tools give a number of useful insights, including looking at consumption in other households of similar size or monitoring where chunks of your money are going, such as to a faulty boiler or the "phantom load" (energy wasted by devices left on unnecessarily).

Myth or must?

Although smart meters alone don't reduce energy bills, they are a vital tool to help energy efficiency and cost savings. 

By Ollie Cooper, Money team

It can be hard to balance getting nutritious foods that make you feel good without spending a lot.

In this series, which ends today after digging into yoghurt, bread, pasta, fruit juice and plant-based milk, we've tried to find the healthiest options in the supermarket for the best value.

Sunna Van Kampen,  founder of  Tonic Health ,  who went viral on social media for reviewing food in the search of healthier choices, has given his input for the past six weeks.

And for the final part of the series, we're looking at the nation's favourite snack: crisps. 

The series does not aim to identify the outright healthiest option, but to help you get better nutritional value for as little money as possible.

We're a people obsessed: in the UK, we get through six billion packets of crisps a year.

Sunna has three easy tips for finding the tastiest options that are kinder to your body...

1. Understand the fat facts

"Typical crisps can be oil sponges and contain over 30% fat from low-quality vegetable oils that have been fried," Sunna says. 

"What we are on the lookout for those that buck the trend and stay away from the fat." 

So, he says, aim for crisps that contain less than 15% total fat.

2. Fibre up your snack time

"While crisps aren't exactly salad, some can offer more nutritional value than others," Sunna says.

"Check the labels for options that have more fibre or protein."

These help you feel fuller for longer and also keep your digestive system happy.

3. Portion control

"It's easy to demolish an entire bag in one sitting - however, many brands offer multipack bags that are portion-controlled, usually around 25g a bag," Sunna says.

Sticking to these helps to manage calorie intake and stops overindulging.

The big picture

"Small changes might not immediately seem like a lot but if you eat a bag a day with your lunch, we are talking about up to a whopping two litres of oil cut from your diet over the course of the year," Sunna says,

"This is not permission to eat crisps every day (enjoy as an occasional treat) but rather an indication of how small changes add up quickly overtime."

The good news is Sunna's recommendations are all similar in price to their popular, fattier rivals - so you don't need to make a bigger investment to reap some health benefits. 

We've included the prices for the brands' standard multipacks at Tesco - correct as of time of writing. 

Walkers Oven Baked - £1.95 for six-pack

"Around £1.95 for a pack of six, these crisps are baked, not fried, slashing the fat content to 13%, so a great option."

Popchips - £2.25 for five-pack

"These have just 13% fat content as they're popped rather than fried so are a great way to go reducing fat without compromising on the crunch."

And for some non-crisp options...

ProperCorn Popcorn - £2 for six-pack

Often described as "the healthier, lighter option", Sunna says ProperCorn "isn't actually the best option on the market for fat content at 17.4%".

That being said, you do get "double the fibre of standard crisps at 10.9g per 100g". 

At only £2 for a pack of six, it's well-priced, too.

Snack A Jacks - £2.20 for five-pack

"At only 8.3% fat per 100g, it's a great option at £2.20 for a pack of five."

Penn State Baked Pretzels - £1.50 for 175g bag

Now for Sunna's winner.

"The German classic is a great option at only 4.6% fat per 100g," he says.

One downfall is that they are not available in portioned bags, so be careful with the whole 175g bag for £1.50.

Want another option altogether?

"If you want to be even healthier, consider the switch to nuts, seeds or even dried cheese snacks," Sunna says.

"Higher in calories yes, but higher in good healthy fats too and are more satiating which will limit the chance of overeating."

The nutritionist's view -  from  Dr Laura Brown , senior lecturer in nutrition, food and health sciences at Teesside University...

"Baked instead of fried crisps is definitely a way forward as well as the popcorn suggestion," she says.

"We should also be aiming to look at the amount of protein and fibre found in products. For example, lentil and pea snacks are growing in popularity due to their higher protein and fibre values, so the focus should be more on looking for ingredients other than potatoes, oil and salt. 

"I also feel 'crisp' based snacks made in an air fryer are becoming more popular. These can include a wholemeal wrap with a small amount of oil added, and placed in the air fryer with paprika and other seasoning added for flavour. 

"Also, chickpeas in the air fryer make for a super delicious protein and fibre rich snack. They are cheaper than crisps and lower in fat since no oil has to be added."

Read more from this series... 

Halifax has become the latest major lender to up mortgage rates.

They are putting up a range of deals by 0.2%.

BM Solutions also announced increases today.

It follows similar moves by TSB, NatWest, Virgin, Barclays, Accord, Leeds Building Society, HSBC and Coventry last week.

Lenders are responding to swap rates - which dictate how much it costs to lend money - rising on the back of higher than expected US inflation data, and concerns this could delay interest rate cuts there. 

US trends often materialise elsewhere - though many economists are still expecting a base rate cut from 5.25% to 5% in the UK in June.

This is what average mortgage rates look like as of today...

Justin Moy, managing director of EHF Mortgages, told Newspage: "Yet more bad news for mortgage borrowers, as two of the biggest lenders announce increases to their fixed-rate products. 

"As mortgage rates creep up and past 5% even for those with the largest deposits, we seem to be lacking a clear strategy of the government or the Bank of England on how rates will eventually fall. 

"Even 2% inflation may not be enough to reverse the recent trends in rates."

Morrisons has launched two major changes for shoppers – with stores now offering travel money and trolleys featuring advertisements.

Announcing their bureau de change service, Morrisons said customers could exchange currencies in select stores or could place their money orders online at Morrisonstravelmoney.com.

Using the online service means customers can either click and collect their cash in certain Morrisons stores or at any of Eurochange's 240 branches. Alternatively, they can go for home delivery.

Services director at Morrisons, Jamie Winter, said the service "will provide our customers with easy access to a wide range of currencies at competitive exchange rates".

So far, stores in the following areas have travel money kiosks:

• Basingstoke

In other news, the supermarket chain rolled out a new trolley advertising across 300 stores in a partnership with Retail Media Group.

A sweetener used in drinks, sauces, savoury and sweet foods and chewing gum can cause serious damage to people's health, according to a new study.

Neotame, a "relatively new" sweetener, could damage the intestine by causing damage to healthy bacteria in the gut, according to the study, leading it to become diseased and attack the gut wall.

The study by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, found the negative effect of neotame "has the potential to influence a range of gut functions resulting in poor gut health", potentially impacting metabolic and inflammatory diseases, neuropathic pain, and neurological conditions.

The illnesses this could lead to include irritable bowel disease or insulin resistance.

Read the full story here ...

As we reported yesterday, a pilot programme is coming into force in Venice today that means visitors have to pay a €5 (£4.28) charge to enter the city.

Authorities say the pilot programme is designed to discourage tourists and thin the crowds that throng the canals during peak holiday season, making the city more liveable for residents.

Pictures have been emerging this morning of people queueing to register for a QR code that will allow them to enter after they have paid the charge - and officials carrying out checks on people inside the city.

People found to be contravening the rules can be fined up to €300 (£257).

As detailed in our story , the move has been met with anger among some in the city.

Venice is the first city in the world to introduce a payment system for tourists - but comments from its most senior tourist official suggested it may become a more common practice for major tourist hotspots in Europe.

Simone Venturini revealed the pilot programme was being closely watched by other places suffering from mass tourism - including other Italian art cities and hugely popular weekend-break destinations Barcelona and Amsterdam.

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Best things to see and do in Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. It’s rich and complex history is a constant reminder of its strategic position between Europe and Asia and makes it one of the cities you should visit once in your life. In terms of the many iconic landmarks, the delicious cuisine, and the characteristic, colorful architecture it has, Moscow is full of surprises for first-timers and seasoned travelers. Apart from the main attractions, it has like the Kremlin or Red Square, Moscow has many hidden gems for you to discover on your free walking tour with your local guide. 

On any of the free guided tours we offer in Moscow , you will be able to find a selection of many tours which are available in different languages and at different times of day, like the morning, afternoon, and evening. Since Moscow is such a large metropolis, getting your bearings by doing a guruwalk with a local guide who will show you all Moscow’s hidden gems is a great idea. This way you get to learn as much as possible about the local culture and way of life. A trip to Moscow wouldn't be complete without visiting iconic places like St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, or the State Historical Museum, before getting some fresh air at Gorky Park, the medieval church of Kolomenskoye, or shopping at Izmailovsky Market. Don’t miss visiting the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Bolshoi Theater, or checking out the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve. 

Many travelers have left their r eviews and opinions about the local guides , gurus, and the routes they walked. If you have any questions about the routes or what is included in the tour, check out their opinions. 

Free walking tour near Moscow

Others cities to visit after moscow, where are you traveling to.