Tour Down Under Challenge Tour returns to Friday timeslot and will take riders from Norwood to Murray Bridge in January

The Tour Down Under’s Challenge Tour returns to a Friday next year and will take riders from Norwood to Murray Bridge.

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The Santos Tour Down Under’s recreational Challenge Tour will return to its regular Friday spot next year and take riders from Norwood to Murray Bridge through the Adelaide Hills.

The full race route for next year’s event will be revealed on Thursday but the Challenge Tour — presented by The Advertiser — has been confirmed for Stage 4 on Friday, January 24.

Riders can choose to ride the full distance of 162.2km or start at three other locations and ride 110km, 78.5km or 33km and follow the same route as the WorldTour peloton.

This year’s Challenge Tour was moved to a Saturday in a bid to allow more people who worked to take part in the ride from Glenelg to Strathalbyn.

But it’s going back to a Friday next year and race director Mike Turtur said it would take riders through Williamstown, Mount Pleasant, Birdwood, Tungkillo, Palmer and Mannum before arriving in Murray Bridge.

“While the course will provide participants with a number of trials, I would say that the most challenging aspect of the route would undoubtedly be the crosswind between Mannum and Murray Bridge, which will be a physically taxing element to contend with,” Turtur said.

Keen cyclist Vlad Rudnik, who commutes by bike and rides on weekends, will tackle the Challenge Tour for the eighth time in January.

“It’s good fun, good to take part on the professional course as well as a massive turnout of riders,” he said.

“It’s the best and biggest ride I do for the year so it’s exciting.

“The course looks good, we’ve done Mount Barker, Glenelg, Victor Harbor, but we’ve never been to Murray Bridge so I’m looking forward to that part.”

The Down Under Classic, which opens the race every year, will move into the city along with Stage 4 of the Santos Women’s Tour taking the peloton past the tour village in Victoria Square.

Next year’s race will be Turtur’s last in charge after he revealed plans to step away from the role which he started in 1999.

The Challenge Tour sales open at 12.30pm tomorrow, at www.tourdownunder.com.au

Originally published as Tour Down Under Challenge Tour returns to Friday timeslot and will take riders from Norwood to Murray Bridge in January