Cycling In Adelaide – January 2025 by Zuzana
Introduction
In January I had the privilege of heading over to Adelaide to experience the Tour Down Under. It was a best month of my life! We loved every day, the time spent cycling, watching koalas, kangaroos, or some terrific bike racing and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We cycle lots in the cyclist’s Paradise of Mallorca, so to find somewhere else, where every ride is also as enjoyable is hard, but Adelaide is truly magical!
Adelaide
Adelaide is a city and I am not a fan of cycling in the city, but it was safe and easy to get out. Adelaide is blessed with cycling friendly drivers, with natural beauty, parks, trails, hills close by, Vineyards and a stunning coastline with beaches. So each bike ride can be flat, a bit hilly or very hilly! Everywhere you go, you’ll be greeted by the friendliest people and enjoy great coffee stops. January is miserable in Europe, so to feel the warm sun on your face, every day, to cycle in the stunning scenery, with the chance of spotting cute animals is exciting.
The Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills have many beautiful townships that offer cyclists a chance to experience the culture and history of the region. It doesn’t matter what direction you choose to go, eventually you will find a little town, where you can get coffee, cake and food. Unlike in Mallorca the water is free, everywhere. There is the famous Hahndorf with its German heritage, you just want to stop and drink beer, eat lots of the German food, but if you are on your bike, ice cream will do. Stirling is another bigger township, that means you have a number of bakeries to choose from, with lovely atmosphere. Stirling is very green and you see lots of flowers as you cycle through. Further out into the rolling hills and vineyards is Lobethal, a favourite with cyclists wanting to make their ride a little bit longer and it has a few nice places to stop for relaxing and refuelling because after climbing around there, you will need it! Throughout the days of the TDU, the townships have many cycling decorations, the cafes are buzzing and you can feel the excitement! My favourite town to stop at was Uraidla, probably because it was an easy ride home from there, the local cyclists are friendly, easy to talk to and they had the best coffee and cake.
Cycling Around Adelaide
The hills are around 7 km from the centre. You can choose one of the 6 ways up and to create the rest of your ride from there. My favourite is Montacute, because it is the most tranquil and the chance to spot koalas and kangaroos is the highest. Another cycling favourite is Norton Summit. This is a place but for those on Strava, it’s also the name of one of the most frequently climbed hills out of Adelaide. It is a challenging yet rewarding cycling route. As you pedal up the winding roads, you are treated to beautiful views and lots of other cyclists. If you keep on climbing, you can pass Summertown and eventually, you will get to Mount Lofty, the highest point in the Mount Lofty Ranges with superb panoramic views. Lofty is like the Formentor Lighthouse of Mallorca, you need to see the view from up there. Another way up to Mount Lofty is up the old Freeway, which is now a cycling path/trail. Along the way, you’ll spot koalas, kangaroos, and diverse bird species.
So lofty is high but not the hardest climb, that is going up the legendary Corkscrew Road. It is 3.6km long, mostly uphill, but the steeper part of the climb is the last 3km at 9%. There is a sign at the top telling you that you have been “corkscrewed”!
For the easy days, cycling along the coast between Glenelg and Port Adelaide is very scenic. White sandy beaches, piers, coffee stops and no hills! From Henley beach, you can get back into the city using the Torrens River bike path. The route is interesting, lots of trees and wildlife. It’s a good smooth surface and safe for cyclists.
The Hills and the coast are beautiful but not far away is the picturesque vineyards of McLaren Vale. This is an area with a stunning natural landscape. When you reach Willunga, there is the famous climb Willunga hill. ?I would recommend to climb Willunga on the day the race is finishing there, you will enjoy the atmosphere and the cycling funs will cheer you on!
That is a quick description of some of the rides. To be honest, I woke up every morning looking forwards to seeing more Koalas, I was very successful and spotted 45 in one month. Some locals couldn’t believe it. Every single one was very special to me, I can’t wait to show our clients the Koalas and to watch their excitement! The TDU days are very exciting, every day you will meet a famous cyclist in the hotel and the tour village. If you are at the right time, in the right place, you can chat or ask for their photo.
The Tour Village contains the manufacturers latest bikes, components, accessories and all things cycling! It’s full of action from the Team introductions to watching the stages on the big screen, roller racing, physio, massage, talks from riders, managers, the list goes on! It’s not to be missed!
The Race Days
The Tour Down Under, is 10 days of racing. First the Womens stages, a rest day and then the Mens stages. There are many ways you can be a part of it. You can cycle to the stage starts or finishes. You can stop on the climbs. Or you can do your ride and afterwards watch the finish in the tour village on the big screen with a beer and great atmosphere. The tour Team Presentations are on the first evening, after the woman’s first race day. The ceremony will give you opportunity to be just meters away from the riders, you can ask for the selfies, explore the village and party afterwards.
These were the stages in 2025.
Day 1 Brighton to Aldinga
Day 2 Unley to Willunga Hill
Day 3 Stirling queen stage for the women.
Day 4 Rest day for the racing, but you can watch roller race in the village. There is daily life music, talks from the famous ex pro riders Greipel, Cavendish and a signing zone.
Day 5 Gumeracha Stage 1, Sprint, all the villages make an effort to decorate and cheer for the cyclist. After the ride you can shop for the latest cycling products in the village, book a massage, or listen to a talk.
Day 6 Stage 2, Tanunda. we watched the start after our ride in Prospect Adelaide.
Day 7 Stage 3. Barossa vine tour stage, great opportunity to watch the race and taste the best vine from the best vineyards in Australia.
Day 8 Stage 4. Norwood to Uraidla, Also the Adelaide Epic ride (Sportive). Your chance to ride the stage, ahead of the race. 6am start for the Epic and 11:10 for the Pro race. We participated in this and can highly recommend it, very well organized, challenging and great fun!
Day 9 Stage 5 Glenelg stage. An easy day for us, 15 km flat ride to watch the stage start and the royal air force show. We then joined a group coastal ride to Henley for the start of the 3 stops, beer ride.
Day 10 Willunga stage. We cycled the 60 km to McLaren Vale, climbed Willunga Hill, then on the way back, stopped on the KOM climb to watch the race go by. Another reason was to complete the Strava Cervelo competition, for a T-shirt and chance to win a bike.
Day 11 Womens Race and Mens Stage 6. The last day to watch the race in Adelaide on the Australia day, so finishing off the evening with celebrations and fireworks.
If you are planning the trip of the lifetime and cycling is your passion, Adelaide is excellent choice, ask any Australian, they will agree.
Selection of Photos
