Old Willunga Hill, today is always a highlight of the trip with our great position near the finish line and a gourmet BBQ lunch.
2019 Santos Tour Down Under will finish on the summit of Old Willunga Hill. The 3km climb is now famous across the world and a particular Australian rider has made it his own. Riders will make two ascents of the challenging King of the Mountain climb in the final stage. We have seen some of …
2019 Santos Tour Down Under will finish on the summit of Old Willunga Hill. The 3km climb is now famous across the world and a particular Australian rider has made it his own. Riders will make two ascents of the challenging King of the Mountain climb in the final stage.
We have seen some of the most exciting stages on Old Willunga. Richie Porte has stamped his authority on this climb over the past four years. 2014 saw Richie Porte show his climbing prowess winning the stage, with Simon Gerrans finishing 3rd and taking the race lead by one second over Cadel Evans. In 2015 Richie Porte was back in the mix as he took a spectacular stage win over Rohan Dennis by 9 seconds and narrowly missed taking the overall lead of the tour by a mere 2 seconds! In 2016, Richie Porte made it a hat-trick of victories with a 6 sec win over his former Sky teammate. In 2017 and 2018, Richie reigned again. Will he be toppled in 2019?
This year the overall winner will be crowned at the top of Willunga Hill. The Ochre jersey presentation on the final day is a special occasion and the winner also takes the World Tour ranking leaders position as well.
We’ll take things a bit easier today and offer a couple of ride options. The main ride will be a 60km ride from our hotel, via the race start in McLaren Vale, to the race finish on Willunga Hill.
On arrival at Willunga Hill, you’ll be provided with a delicious Gourmet BBQ picnic lunch and cold drinks right at the finish line on Old Willunga Hill, where the race passes twice and where the race finish will be! We will have plenty of time to socialise and relax in this lovely bush setting while we wait for the race to arrive.
This day is always a highlight of the trip with our great position near the finish line and a gourmet BBQ lunch.
TODAY IN THE RACE
Stage Six
McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill | 151.5km
Start time: 11.10am
Finish time: 2.58pm ETA
KOM location: Brookman Road, Willunga Hill
Sprint locations: The Esplanade, Snapper Point