Racing<\/p>\n
Our squads have lofty goals for aggressive racing<\/p>\n
January 14, 2026<\/p>\n
After months of preparation, the 2026 racing season is finally about to begin. <\/p>\n
Our men\u2019s and women\u2019s squads are in Adelaide, Australia ready to take on the Tour Down Under. EF Education-Oatly\u2019s riders are keen to support Noemi R\u00fcegg\u2019s<\/a> quest to defend her 2025 title, while the EF Education-EasyPost squad is ready for stage hunting and aggressive racing.<\/p>\n Alice Towers<\/a> and Stina Kagevi<\/a> will race in pink for the first time and they\u2019re thrilled to help defend Noemi\u2019s status as the reigning champion. Magdeleine Vallieres<\/a> brings the strength and racing savvy that won her the rainbow stripes to Australia. Henrietta Christie<\/a> returns, ready to be Noemi\u2019s right hand in the peloton. Noemi herself is prepared to do everything she can to earn a second title at the first race of the season.<\/p>\n Harry Sweeny<\/a>, Max Walker<\/a>, Jardi van der Lee<\/a>, and Alastair MacKellar<\/a> return to the Tour Down Under with valuable experience having raced here before. Alexander Cepeda<\/a> will race in Australia for his first time, while Michael Leonard<\/a> and Luke Lamperti<\/a> are eager to make their debuts with the squad. <\/p>\n Our riders share their impressions and goals for the upcoming days of racing.<\/p>\n Alice Towers It\u2019s my first race in pink! I was really excited to get together with everyone. I feel like you really bond well once you\u2019ve raced so I\u2019m really excited to get this first race under the belt as well. We\u2019ve got a really strong team here which is even more exciting because it means we can really go in with a bit of pressure but I guess we can also enjoy that and be confident with it. I\u2019m feeling good and I think my teammates are also going well so we\u2019ll definitely be looking to do the same this year.<\/p>\n Henrietta Christie I really like racing on this side of the world. It\u2019s pretty close to home but also it\u2019s a really nice area to start the season. I haven\u2019t really done a European winter until this year so now I understand why the Europeans like coming here so much! So now I really want to come back here every year that I can.<\/p>\n Magdeleine Vallieres I\u2019m really excited because we have two new girls with us so I\u2019m excited to start the season with them. It\u2019s always a different atmosphere when you start with two new girls so I\u2019m really excited to see how we do. At camp it was super good so I think it will be good chemistry. Having Noemi as last year\u2019s winner, we come with a lot of confidence into the race and that will be super nice. I watched the girls do so well last year. Henrietta was also on the team last year and I saw her do a crazy bike change and so much good work so I\u2019m excited to be there this year and to be a part of the success of the team. <\/p>\n I have a lot of confidence in Noemi. She’s someone I\u2019ve always loved to work for so I think it’s a bit less pressure [for me] to start the season like this, to be able to be a support rider for Tour Down Under so for sure it\u2019s a good way to start the season. <\/p>\n Noemi R\u00fcegg We have a bit of a different team than last year but we still have a very strong squad with our two new riders and I\u2019m really excited. I think we have a really strong team. It\u2019s very diverse so we have a lot of different qualities and strengths within the team and I\u2019m sure that together we are super strong. Every individual is super strong and we can play different cards and use our own strengths and we\u2019ll do the best that we can.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the first time I will actually wear bib number one so that\u2019s really special. To defend something will be a new situation for me but I try to take it as I did last year, just to take this as a motivation that I’m the defending champion and not putting too much pressure on myself because I know I work better if I\u2019m relaxed and just enjoy the race. In the end, I cannot do more than just racing my bike and we have a super strong team that I can trust. It will be good. <\/p>\n Stina Kagevi In Sweden it\u2019s cold now. It\u2019s about -10C with a lot of snow but I\u2019ve spent a lot of the winter in Spain so the warm weather here isn\u2019t too bad for me. I was here two years ago for the same race and I really liked it. It\u2019s so nice here. It\u2019s warm. <\/p>\n Alastair MacKellar I’m excited and nervous for the third stage. Two times up the corkscrew is really solid and will be a big test. It\u2019s arguably the hardest stage Tour Down Under has had in the last few years, so I think there will be fireworks.<\/p>\n I\u2019m excited for this year’s TDU. Last year was my first time racing the WorldTour edition, so it\u2019s nice coming with an idea of what to expect. We\u2019ve got an aggressive and strong team, so it\u2019ll be great to support them and enjoy racing on home roads \u2013 well I\u2019m still 2,500 kilometers from home, but it\u2019s as close as I\u2019ll get \u2013 before heading back to Europe.<\/p>\n Alexander Cepeda It\u2019s a pretty nice race route. I\u2019ve looked at the stages and I like them because it opens up a couple of opportunities for me. I think there are two stages that could go well. We\u2019re here and we\u2019re ready to enjoy Australia. <\/p>\n I usually start my season in February so it feels a little odd to be racing so early but I\u2019m happy. In the end, the national championships in Ecuador are in June so I\u2019m happy to be in Australia and to enjoy it. It\u2019s a new experience for me and I\u2019m going to take advantage of it. I hope we all go well.<\/p>\n Harry Sweeny I\u2019m not from Adelaide but it\u2019s always special to race in Australia since it’s so rare during the year and to top it off, I actually have a huge amount of family that\u2019s from and lives in Adelaide who always come to the start. That makes things extra special.<\/p>\n It would be nice to take home a stage with one of our fast men. There are a lot of stages that should be to our advantage, so I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what we can do.<\/p>\n Jardi van der Lee We have a few riders that are doing this race for the first time. For these riders it\u2019s important to not do too much at the very beginning and get the feeling for the race. For the guys that have more experience with the race, it\u2019s quite useful to share that experience with the others.<\/p>\n I\u2019m really excited for most of the stages. Stages 2, 4, and 5 look good for me and the team. The only tricky stage is stage 3 where it\u2019s a little bit of climbing but we might want to go for the sprint with Luke so let\u2019s see if we can get that to a sprint. And the first stage is also nice but a little more tricky in my eyes. The prologue is new. It\u2019s a nice set up especially since we don\u2019t have the crit this year. <\/p>\n Luke Lamperti This is a race that\u2019s super early in the season so it\u2019s always difficult as far as knowing where everybody\u2019s at but at the same time it\u2019s always nice to hit the ground running. If we can ride well as a team and get some results, it\u2019s always nice for the rest of the season. Just to have that confidence which makes everything easier going towards UAE, the classics, and the rest of the year so I think it\u2019s a good opportunity to get everybody together and enjoy the time and keep it relaxed but at the same time go for results.<\/p>\n Max Walker Returning to TDU, I feel like I have a better understanding of how the racing will play out and when to use my energy. I also find it useful for positioning to have a general grasp on the road layouts as they differ across the world. <\/p>\n We are coming to the race with a solid team and looking for a strong start to the season. I believe we have a decent chance to take some wins and can\u2019t wait to get started.<\/p>\n Michael Leonard This will be my first time actually wearing the pink jersey. I couldn’t wear it before because the weather was so cold in Europe so it\u2019s been nice training in real team colors. It\u2019s a really good environment in the team so I\u2019m really motivated to start racing. <\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure about my expectations for the race. For me, it\u2019s just about getting started with the season and doing as well as I can, helping the team as much as I can.<\/p>\n More from Santos Tour Down UnderNoemi R\u00fcegg<\/p>\n In Noemi\u2019s first two seasons at EF Education-Oatly, the former Swiss national champion has started by winning her first race of the season: in 2024, she outsprinted the field at Trofeo Felanitx-Col\u00f2nia de Sant Jordi to take the first ever win for the squad. Then in 2025, at the Tour Down Under, Noemi soloed to victory on the queen stage and then went on to win the overall general classification. She podiumed at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and had top ten results at Strade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda before she sprinted to third place at the first modern edition of Sanremo women. Noemi finished the 2025 season with another podium, this time at Tre Valli Varesine.<\/p>\n Noemi is a punchy rider who can get over hard climbs. She is still trying to find out where her limits lie.<\/p>\n She came to bike racing through her family. At first, her goal was simply to keep up with her older brother. Their dad was involved with a local cycling club and Noemi slowly grew more and more curious. When she was 13, she finished her first cyclocross race and was hooked.<\/p>\n Noemi turned professional on the road as a 19-year-old, leaving her full-time job caring for disabled people in a home. She is a two-time U23 Swiss time trial national champion but her heart belongs to the classics. Noemi loves a tough course, the more chaotic, the better. She is not afraid to be aggressive in the peloton and loves the excitement and energy of a hectic race.<\/p>\n Her ultimate goals are to podium in one of the classics and to develop as a stage racer. Noemi is only just getting started.<\/p>\n
I love being back in Adelaide. I feel like when you\u2019re here, it\u2019s like you never left. Straight back into the routine of getting coffees in the morning, going to the team tent. It\u2019s a good vibe. It\u2019s nice to see everyone in the same place as well. Friendly faces.<\/p>\n
I think it’s quite special coming back here as defending champion. Last year was really special. Just on and off the bike it was really quite cool. It was my first race with the team and now coming back as my second year with the team, it\u2019s really cool.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re coming back with the reigning champ so we have to try to get the title again this year. I think it will be an exciting one. It\u2019s racing and you always want to do well so we have big goals for the team. For sure it comes with a lot of pressure and I’m already feeling it a bit but I\u2019m also excited to race with this team. I think we have a good group. We\u2019ll make it less pressure just by being in a good group and a good atmosphere. I\u2019m excited. <\/p>\n
All the memories are coming up again. It feels very familiar to be back here. I recognize everything: the race village and the roads we were training on, and just the vibe is so nice. Just relaxed and I\u2019m super happy to be back.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be fun to race with the team. It\u2019s a nice experience just to be here. It\u2019s a lot of new things at once \u2013 first race of the year, new team, new kit \u2013 but I think it\u2019s going to be fun. My role will be a bit of an all-arounder this week, just being around to help. I\u2019m really excited to race with the girls and to get new experiences.<\/p>\n
I love racing TDU because it\u2019s the only WorldTour race on the calendar in Australia. It’s special to be able to race in your home country and have friends and family come and watch. I grew up watching this race in person with my dad and his friends, so to be here with them still coming to watch me is special.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really pleased to be starting the season early here in good weather, in the heat \u2013 it\u2019s just like at home. The time change is a little difficult but I\u2019m happy to be here in Australia for my first time. <\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t changed anything for Tour Down Under in my preparations as the biggest goals of the season are coming in the spring. I\u2019ll still be racing TDU with everything I\u2019ve got, but this will be a few percent less than my peak.<\/p>\n
This will be my third year in a row racing at TDU so I know now how it works a little bit. It\u2019s super nice to be back here and start the season early and get some racing in the legs. I think the race added a little bit of extra climbing this year which I\u2019m really happy with. The more climbing the better. Let\u2019s see how far we can get.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sprinting here and I\u2019ll also do that in the two one-day races after. There aren\u2019t too many sprints at Down Under, I think maybe the first day and the last day, but I\u2019m feeling optimistic. I\u2019ve had a decent winter.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really looking forward to racing TDU again this year. I had a fantastic time at the race in 2025 and thoroughly enjoyed getting to experience Australia. There couldn\u2019t have been a better way to start my professional career with EF Education-EasyPost. I am delighted with my first pro season. I gained a lot of experience and was fortunate enough to learn how to be a good teammate in a variety of different races. I can\u2019t wait to start racing this year. My program is fairly similar to last year and I\u2019m eager to build on everything I\u2019ve learned and become a better rider. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s really nice so far being in Australia. The weather\u2019s been perfect, the travel wasn\u2019t all that bad, and the roads are good for riding. It’s really nice being here.<\/p>\n