Australian champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon will lead her Liv-AlUla-Jayco team on home soil at the first UCI race of the 2025 season at the Women’s Santos Tour Down Under. After a standout 2024 highlighted by her first WorldTour victory – a stage at the Tour of Britain – the 26-year-old rider will be looking to nab a stage win at home.
As a neo-pro in 2022, Roseman-Gannon made a big impression by winning a stage and the overall victory at the Santos Festival of Cycling. In 2023, when the race was elevated to the Women’s WorldTour, she nabbed a fifth-place stage finish and fourth overall. In January 2024, Roseman-Gannon claimed one top-10 stage placing, and suffered from the heat on the race known for its sweltering conditions.
“A highlight of the season is always the Australian summer of racing and especially Tour Down Under. Home crowds and lots of family and friends make it particularly special for us,” Roseman-Gannon stated in a team release.
“The stages this year look similar to last year but with some added climbs, so I think we can expect more attritional racing and some exciting finales. I think we will have a strong team for the race and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Joining Roseman-Gannon on the start line will be New Zealand champion Ella Wyllie, who finished seventh overall last year, along with Australians Georgia Baker, Amber Pate, and Josie Talbot, making her debut with the team. Dutch all-rounder Silke Smulders rounds out the six-rider line-up.
“I think we’re coming into the race with a competitive team, and we’ve got someone for each of the roles were looking for. We’re aiming for stage success and also overall success, we have riders capable of doing both over a challenging and dynamic course. The race is only three days long, but each stage is difficult in its own right,” noted Gene Bates, head sport director and team manager.
“We will take it stage by stage and really take the approach of three one-day races and try and get the best result each day, and the overall will take care of itself. We’ve got high ambitions with a great team coming together for this one, and we’re excited and motivated to hit the streets of Adelaide!”
Held from January 17-19 in and around Adelaide, the Women’s Tour Down Under is the opening event of the Women’s WorldTour.
The stage race starts with a 101.9km course from Brighton to Snapper Point on stage 1.
The second day of the race will be the most decisive of the three days as the peloton tackles 115km from Unley to the top of Willunga Hill. The iconic climb, which has traditionally been used in the men’s race, was added to the women’s parcours in 2024.
The three-day stage race will conclude with a 105.9km stage in Stirling.
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