The 2024 Tour Down Under will once again feature a lineup of old favorites. Not only will Willunga Hill return as the final stage of the men's race, but the iconic South Australian climb will also serve as the finale of the women's World Tour race. [The Tour Down Under race director Stuart O'Grady told Cyclingnews, "It's a great day for the race and a great day for the fans. It's good for the race and good for the fans."

A longtime fan favorite of the race is the uphill starting on Main Street in the small town of Willunga, and spectators are expected to flock to the uphill again in 2024 after a one-year absence in 2023.

"Willunga Hill is the most iconic climb in the history of the Tour Down Under, and we are designing this course with the people who come to South Australia to enjoy the show in mind," said O'Grady. We want to provide the best possible stage for the riders and for the fans as well."

The three-stage women's race will begin with a sprinter stage. The women's Tour Down Under has been moved to an earlier time slot this year, Friday, January 12, eliminating the overlap with the men's race, which used to finish on Tuesday.

"We wanted to give the girls their own focus, and I think the lack of overlap is really important for the growth of their race," said O'Grady.

Starting on Friday will make Saturday's challenging stage to Stirling and Sunday's finale atop Willunga Hill an easy-to-watch race weekend. This is the first time that an international women's race will tackle this iconic climb, and with two uphill stages in a row over the weekend, it is sure to be a challenging and exciting GC battle.

"We are always looking to grow the event and hope to attract more Women's World Tour teams to the region this year," said O'Grady. We're always looking to grow the event and hope to attract more Women's World Tour teams here this year," said O'Grady.

The men's race will begin with the Down Under Classic criterium on Saturday, January 13. The first four stages offer opportunities for both sprinters and punchers, with the second stage in particular a series of short but steep climbs that favor attackers.

Then, over the weekend, Willunga Hill will be the fifth stage, the first of two days of summit finishes that will likely be decisive in the overall battle. The finale will again be atop Mount Lofty, with three summit finishes in 2024 instead of five in 2023, but still a tough summit finish to determine the overall winner, as it includes climbs over 2,800 meters.

"The men's final weekend will probably be the most exciting in history," said O'Grady.

While there are many familiar sections from the 2023 event, which was won by Jay Vine and Grace Brown, there are some notable absences. First, the women's race will be held in earnest over the weekend, but because of the overlap, the women's peloton will not participate in the traditional pre-race criterium.

The men's 5.5km prologue will also not return for the 2024 men's edition. However, that does not mean it will not return to the course.

"It immediately brings a new dynamism to the race. Instead of chasing bonus seconds, the entire peloton will run different times. I think this race was a really cool part of the event this year."

What has changed - The race start is now on Friday, moving to a weekend finale. There is no longer a pre-race hit out for the women's race due to the crossover between the women's World Tour race and the criterium on Saturday. Willunga Hill will be making her first appearance in an international race.

What has changed is that this year there will be no prologue, the race will be a total of six stages, and Willunga Hill will return on the final day.