<\/p>\n
The race begins with a prologue this year, providing European viewers with a chance to follow the opening day of the race live. Otherwise, it will be a night-time finish all-round, except for those following the race from Australia or nearby.<\/p>\n
You can follow all the online coverage of the 2026 Tour Down Under<\/a> and the rest of the UCI calendar on CyclingUpToDate: startlists, previews, profiles, post-stage quotes and recaps of all stages.Tour Down Under 2026 Schedule and start timesThe Tour Down Under<\/a> 2026 will run from Tuesday 20 to Sunday 25 January. Stage dates and times (in Central European Time: CET) are as follows:StageDayDateTime (CET)Local timePrologueTuesdayJan 2008:30 \u2013 10:3018:00 \u2013 20:30Stage 1WednesdayJan 2101:40 \u2013 04:3311:10 \u2013 14:00Stage 2ThursdayJan 2201:40 \u2013 05:3211:10 \u2013 15:00Stage 3FridayJan 2301:40 \u2013 05:2211:10 \u2013 14:50Stage 4SaturdayJan 2401:40 \u2013 06:0911:10 \u2013 15:39Stage 5SundayJan 2501:40 \u2013 05:5611:10 \u2013 15:30How to watch the Tour Down Under 2026 on TVThe race will be broadcast on the traditional channels, most notably Discovery, MAX and Eurosport. As always, you can always follow the 2026 Tour Down Under<\/a> on CyclingUpToDate with our full coverage of the race.<\/p>\n In Australia it will be able to follow the race live on Seven and 7Plus; In the United States NBC and FloBikes will broadcast the race whilst in the United Kingdom it will be possible to follow it through TNT Sports.<\/p>\n LocationTVLatin AmericaESPNUnited KingdomTNT Sports \/ Discovery +United StatesNBC \/ FloBikesCanadaNBC \/ FloBikesAustraliaSeven \/ 7PlusEuropeEurosport \/ HBO Max \/ Max L\u2019Equipe \/ VG \/ \u00d6kkoNew ZealandSkyAsia-PacificJsports \/ Zhibo TVOceaniaJsports \/ Zhibo TVMiddle EastAbu Dhabi Media NetworkThe five main favourites to win the Tour Down Under 2026<\/p>\n 1. Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez<\/p>\n The first name is obvious. Although UAE Team Emirates – XRG will bring a powerhouse lineup to dominate almost every stage, Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez has earned the right to be considered the leading contender for the overall. He won last year on debut with the Emirati team, and he will surely aim to retain the title to start 2026 in style.<\/p>\n 2. Jay Vine<\/p>\n UAE have a very strong team and can play several cards. Another one will be Jay Vine, winner of the 2023 race; winner of the recent Australian time trial nationals and contender to win the opening prologue. His climbing ability however is his strongest weapon and the climbs of this race have proven to be well suited to him in the past.<\/p>\n 3. Ben O’Connor<\/p>\n The home favourite rounds out the top three. Ben O’Connor lines up at the Tour Down Under<\/a> chasing more than just victory in his country\u2019s biggest race. The Jayco-AlUla rider wants to atone for an uneven 2025, which stalled his major 2024 momentum despite a Tour de France stage win.But as he admitted a few days ago<\/a>, he will go all-in at the 2026 Tour Down Under<\/a>. And if fans get even a glimpse of the O\u2019Connor from two years ago\u2014the one who finished 2nd overall at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a and took silver at the Zurich Worlds.<\/p>\n 4. Santiago Buitrago<\/p>\n Santiago Buitrago will lead Bahrain Victorious for the overall. The goal is to match his excellent start to 2025, and if he has his best form he will certainly be a contender to win at the Old Willunga Hill. The Colombian can benefit from a winter spent in good weather back in Colombia, something other contenders may not have in their legs.<\/p>\n 5. Javier Romo<\/p>\n