The Santos Tour Down Under will return after the cancellation of COVID-19 in 2023, with some changes to the usual menu of men's races.

A pre-race criterium will be held the weekend prior to the men's race on Saturday, January 14. The peloton will then head to South Australia from Wednesday, January 18 to Sunday, January 22 for five stages around the state capital.

"The 2023 race route is designed to test cyclists like never before and at the same time put fans in the heart of the action," race director Stuart O'Grady said in a statement to the media.

"The Santos Tour Down Under kicks off with an exciting new time trial. The EFEX prologue around Adelaide's Riverbank will be the first of its kind at the event and will take place around Torrens, with each racer starting from the Riverbank bridge and tackling the course individually.

"Other event firsts include the formidable Mount Lofty finisher and a beautiful beachside stage start in Brighton.

South Australia has not hosted an international race since January 2020, as border closures following the COVID-19 pandemic have removed the state from its normal status as a World Tour opener during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. In its place was the domestic Santos Festival of Cycling. However, not only will the race return to its normal World Tour calendar slot in 2023, but the UCI has also registered it on the 2024 and 2025 World Tour calendars, ensuring its top-class status for the next few years.

Women's races in the Tour Down Under (previously ranked 2. Pro) will also move to the Women's World Tour level in 2023. The women's race in South Australia will also begin with a criterium in central Adelaide on Saturday, January 14, followed by three stages of racing from Sunday, January 15 to Tuesday, January 17. Details of the women's stage have yet to be announced, but it would not be surprising to see a new element added to the race that has so far passed through Mount Lofty, especially if the team includes race directors such as O'Grady, Annette Edmondson, and Carly Taylor, who are familiar with South Australian roads.

However, the race is not a race to the finish line.

But perhaps the most notable change in the men's race is the missing one. [Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) is affectionately known as the King of Willunga because of his victory on this climb. It is therefore somewhat surprising that when the race passes through the township of Willunga in stage 4, it is not up the hill, but rather rushes past in the direction of the beach and wineries.

O'Grady said at a media conference after the stage was announced, "It's a great hill to be part of the race, but there are many other hills in Adelaide and Mount Lofty is the most iconic climb."

The distinctive new summit finale of stage 5 comes as the WorldTour race will be overseen by O'Grady, replacing Mike Turtur, who will retire after the 2020 event. the 114-km final stage will feature the climb of Mount Lofty, a 25 km of the course, and the peloton will make four laps of the course.

"I think it's important to bring new and fresh places into the Tour Down Under. If I had just copied and pasted the last 23 years, that would not be why I was given this job. I was invited to bring new innovations, new and exciting parkour, and I didn't want the old-fashioned stage where everyone has a chair by the side of the road and knows exactly what to expect."

"This new stage brings a lot of excitement. It's a short stage, it's aggressive, and it's in the heart of Adelaide, so it's going to draw more and more people."