Ladies will take on three stages in the surroundings of Adelaide. Already the first day will visit the iconic Willunga Hill, but unlike men, ladies won’t do the entire climb, starting off lightly with a drag sprint finish. The same can be expected of the following stage. The decisive day will therefore be the final one, with a double ascent up the Corkscrew Road (2.5km at 8.3%) followed by a quick downhill finish on the outskirts of Adelaide.
The name of Vallieres might resound the most of the American team’s selection for the race, but in her own words, she’s unlikely to be the ProTeam’s main champion for this challenge: “I’ve only just started my first training block, but I’m already doing heat training,” she said on the Domestique Podcast about her fast run-up to the race.
Magdeleine Vallieres (middle) on the Kigali podium
Vallieres highlights that there’s another “expert” on the race in EF’s ranks – last year’s Tour Down Under winner Noemi Ruegg: “Our team includes Noemi Ruegg, the winner of the Tour Down Under, so we’re going to try to win the race again. So we definitely have a few cards to play.”
The world champion herself will be aiming more towards the Ardennes and spring classics in general. Tour Down Under should be more a springboard towards another great season for the young cyclist. “We’ll have to wait and see how my form will be. My goals are later in the season, so I certainly won’t be in top form yet.”