Route
Route
As ever, the route of this year’s race is largely flat with few reasons to stop the sprinters enjoying an early test of the legs on several stages.
Rolling out of Tanunda, the race kicks off with a 132.6km stage into Campbelltown which, after the solitary categorised climb of Checker Hill, which shouldn’t cause too much concern for the fast men, should end in a bunch sprint.
A slight rise in the road before the finish may offer a chance to attack, but if the sprint trains are on their guard then it is theirs to lose.
Crosswinds have caused problems in the past – Marcel Kittel’s train falling foul of blustery conditions last year – but in Greipel’s absence, the German will be favourite to pull on the first leader’s jersey.
Stage two, from Unley to Stirling, features a repeat of the finishing circuit on which Cadel Evans soloed to victory last season.
An uphill finish – climbed three times in all – will suit attacking riding and the soon-to-retire Evans will be among the men to watch again.
Stage three is one for the rouleurs with a category two rise to the finish in Paracombe – one, perhaps, for Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) or Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo).
Thomas will serve as domestique to Richie Porte and so may be held back, but former champion Rogers will have no such concerns.
Stage four finishes in Mount Barker, but the finish itself – after some climbing earlier in the day – is largely flat.
It is stage five, however, where the decisive blows could be struck with the double ascent of Willunga Hill – a three-kilometre climb with an average gradient of seven per cent.
With just a flat circuit of Adelaide to follow – with Kittel again likely to be the man to watch if he can arrive in better form than 2014 – the winner on Willunga Hill could well be the overall winner, too.
Who will be the men vying for the title? Let’s consider the six top contenders for victory at the 2015 Tour Down Under.