Place Name: Adelaide Parklands Criterium Track
Address: Adelaide Parklands Criterium Track, Adelaide South Australia 5000, Australia
Details: January 20, 2026
Racing is back! We don't have much time to settle in and get used to new riders and new kit because today's opener of the Santos Tour Down Under is a 3.6KM prologue. The course zigzags through the heart of Adelaide, into Victoria Park, and finishes in front of the historic grand stand on the Adelaide Grand Final motor racing circuit. There is hardly a meter of elevation to be gained across the course. The first wearer of the Okre Jersey will be awarded to the fastest rider across the line but expect the times to be very tight with very little to separate the top places.
Michael Gogl of Alpecin-Premier Tech was the first man off the ramp under a warm sun at 32C (90F) and wind consistently blowing at 30KM/HR. The first 20 minutes were very active with constant change among the top five. Michael Leonard of EF-Education EasyPost, Ethan Vernon of NSN Cycling, and Laurence Pithie of Redbull-Bora Hansgrohe were all near or at the top of the leader board at one point but it was Sam Watson of Ineos who put up the quickest time. There was some shuffling of the top ten as the evening wore on but no one would unseat Watson who posted an average speed of 50.448KM/HR. Vernon would end the day .59 seconds down in second place with Pithie in third at 2.7 seconds.
There were no time bonuses so the GC mirrors the stage result with Watson leading by 1 second to Vernon and 3 seconds to Pithie.
Tags: Tour Down Under, 2026, Tour Down Under 2026, Prologue, January, Adelaide, Ethan Vernon, Laurence Pithie, Sam Watson