Tour Down Under 2024: Three world champions among start list for Australia’s top cycling race

A number of Aussie young guns are missing, but there will be plenty of star power on the streets of South Australia in January with the Tour Down Under start list for 2024 revealed.

Three world champions will take part in the upcoming Tour Down Under.

But defending men’s champion Jay Vine, and two of Australian cycling’s biggest names, won’t take to the road in South Australia in January.

Just under two weeks from action commencing, the Tour Down Under has released the start list for the 24th edition of Australia’s top cycling race.

Notable omissions from the peloton include Australian GC guns Jai Hindley and Ben O’Connor, as well as defending champion Vine.

Vine, who rides for UAE Team Emirates, is dealing with an injury and is looking to focus on races later in 2024.

In his place, Italian Giro d’Italia stage winner Alessandro Covi could be the one to watch from the powerhouse team.

Luke Plapp is one of Australia’s best Tour Down Under hopes. Picture: Con Chronis/AusCycling.

Hindley produced a famous ride in his first Tour de France in 2023, winning the fifth stage of the race and wearing the iconic yellow jersey, eventually finishing seventh overall.

While O’Connor finished fourth in the 2021 edition of the Tour de France.

With those three big guns not making the trip to Adelaide, Australia’s best hopes of victory could be rising star Luke Plapp.

Plapp, who has won the past two Australian road race titles, has just joined Team Jayco-AlUla, who will be looking for their first overall victory since 2019.

Along with the 23-year-old, the Australian WorldTour team will have 2023 runner-up Simon Yates and star sprinter Caleb Ewan in their roster for the 2024 TDU, following Ewan’s return to his former team.

The TDU has already announced two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe will compete in the 2024 race, along with two-time world time trial champion Fillipo Ganna and nine-time Grand Tour stage winner Elia Viviani.

Also competing will be Biniam Girmay, the first African rider to win a stage at the Giro d’Italia, and former Tour de France stage winner Bauke Mollema.

Aussie Jack Haig, who finished third at the 2021 Vuelta a Espana, will compete for Bahrain Victorious, while sprinter Sam Welsford could be one to watch after his recent move to Bora-Hansgrohe.

Grace Brown will return to defend her Women's Tour Down Under crown in January. Picture: Brenton EDWARDS/AFP

While there are some big names missing in the men’s race, the women’s peloton will be the largest in the history of the Tour Down Under.

Grace Brown will defend her crown against former champions Amanda Spratt and Ruth Edwards (nee Winder), while current time trial world champion and Olympic silver medallist Chloe Dygert will make her TDU debut.

Former stage winner Alexandra Manly and world number seven Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig will also be ones to watch in the 96-rider field.

Tour Down Under Race Director Stuart O’Grady was excited by the strength of the peloton in both the men’s and women’s race.

“We’ve got some of the greatest sprinters of all time in Caleb Ewan and Elia Viviani, and I am particularly excited to see what Julian Alaphilippe does in Adelaide,” he said.

“He is one of the most electrifying riders in the peloton and I know he will want to leave his mark on the Santos Tour Down Under.

“The women’s peloton also features a record number of teams and international riders, which supports our goal for continued growth in this space.”

The three-stage women’s race will begin on January 12, with the first of the six men’s stages to begin on January 16.

Originally published as Tour Down Under 2024: Three world champions among start list for Australia’s top cycling race