Preview

Human Powered Health starts its 2025 campaign in Australia at the Santos Tour Down Under from January 17 to 19. 

The parcours is undoubtedly one of the toughest in the race’s 11-year history. A double ascent of Willunga Hill on stage 2 brings the GC favorites to the fore ahead of a lumpy final stage that has more vertical gain than the previous day’s hilltop finish. It’s a race that will suit climbers like Bradbury, Fisher-Black and Ghekiere, as well as offer opportunities to explosive riders like Edwards, Swinkels and Chabbey.

2020 race victor Ruth Edwards and 2024 mountains classification winner Katia Ragusa head up a strong squad in the Southern Hemisphere and are joined by climber Barbara Malcotti, Marit Raaijmakers, Silvia Zanardi and Kathrin Schweinberger. 

The squad will go elbow-to-elbow with some big names in Australia – Neve Bradbury and Chloé Dygert lead CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto, Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ), Elise Chabbey, Ally Wollaston (both FDJ – SUEZ), Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Team), and Ella Wyllie (Liv AlUla Jayco), are all on the start list.

Three other race days including the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, UCI 1.Pro Schwalbe Women’s One Day Classic and UCI 1.1 Surf Coast Classic means it will be a month full of racing in the Southern Hemisphere for Human Powered Health Cycling.

How to watch

USA
Peacock TV or FloBikes 16/1* – 18/1 | from 7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT / 5:30 pm MT / 4:30 pm PT

*The first stage begins on Thursday evening
*Stage finishes around midnight ET, 11 pm CT, 10 pm MT, 9 pm PT

Greater Europe and UK
Eurosport/Discovery+ 17/1 – 19/1 | 01:30 CET – 05:00 CET / 00:30 GMT – 05:00 GMT

Belgium and the Netherlands
Max with via the B/R Sports Add-On 17/1 – 19/1 | 01:30 CET – 05:00 CET

Australia
Channel 7

Katia Ragusa dominated the mountains classification in 2024, winning the team’s first jersey of the season, one which now adorns the wall of the Human Powered Performance Lab in Wellesley. 

“I’m so excited to return to the Tour Down Under,” she says. “To win the QOM jersey was an incredible feeling and a nice memory to have. It was my first race with Human Powered Health and it was amazing because I had so much help and belief in me.”

With a strong squad aiming for GC success, Ragusa is a big cog in any stage, whether that be for a sprint finish or positioning the climbers in a hilly finale.

“My goal this year is to help the team get the best result,” she explains. “We are looking at the GC for Ruth and we want to all pull together to finish as high up as possible.”

The 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift runner-up joined her teammates in Almeria ahead of the new season for baseline fitness tests before the restart. 

“Training camp went well,” she said. “I’m excited about our team for the new season and I hope it will be a good one. Let’s see if we can start our season positively with results in Australia.”

Santos Tour Down Under Stage by Stage

1/17 Stage 1 | Brighton – Aldinga Beach (101.9km) Rolling
Stage 1 has potential for a sprint along the coast. Heatherdale Hill offers QOM points early on and the last 30km will sap legs and likely end in a bunch kick. Zanardi and Schweinberger will be among the favorites to win, coming up against Wollaston, Rachele Barbieri (Team Picnic PostNL), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Sara Fiorin (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team).

1/18 Stage 2 | Unley – Willunga Hill (115km) Uphill finish
So often the king and queenmaker at the Tour Down Under, Willunga Hill returns in 2025 and this time it’s a double ascent. The climb is 3.4km at 7.4% with 19 kilometers between ascents, and will be decisive. The grade suits climbers who can get up to speed quickly for that final push. 

1/19 Stage 3 | Stirling – Stirling (105.9km) Hilly
Edwards has good memories of the final day finish, having won in Sterling in 2020 to clinch the title. With almost 2,000 meters of vertical gain, the stage 3 finale is arguably the toughest race and will decide who takes home the 2025 Ochre jersey. 

Schwalbe Women’s One Day Classic

1/26 | Adelaide – Adelaide (89.9km) Flat
A 1.Pro one-day race, this circuit classic in Adelaide is ripe for sprinters who have made the trip to Australia. 20 laps around a fast, twisting 4.5-kilometer course will suit the skillset of Schweinberger, Zanardi and Raaijmakers. 

Surf Coast Classic

1/29 | Lorne – Torquay (118km) Flat
Run by the organizers of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, that race now has a support race. A point-to-point with a hilly start and rolling end, the race suits opportunists but will likely also come down to a group sprint finish. 

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

2/1 | Geelong – Geelong (145.7km) Rolling
It’s back to the WorldTour in February with the race named after Australia’s only Tour de France champion. Rolling terrain, exposed coastal roads, and a double ascent of the 1km at 8.9% Montpellier Hill in the finale will once again reward attacking racing. As we saw last year, a combination of leg-sapping crosswinds and steep ascents on the finishing circuit can reduce the race to only the toughest athletes.