Hands down, the Tour Down Under in Adelaide is THE BEST week of the year for road cycling in Australia. Nothing else even comes close. I count myself very lucky to have been able to attend every year.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would be back this year. Last year’s trip was booked before the IRONMAN -> ROUVY acquisition and before being made redundant. At the TdU in 2025 I was unemployed for the first time in a very long time. As such, I treated that trip as a “Last Hurrah” of sorts. A final Farewell Tour for Team FulGaz.

It was SO GOOD to be back in 2026. I do love Adelaide. This year I came in very much underprepared and overcooked from some last-minute panic training. I had a little fitness, but nowhere near peak. There’s nothing quite like a week-long training block in the Adelaide Hills to put a rocket up your fitness backside though!

From the city centre, it’s an easy 8km / 5 mile warm-up ride to the base of the hills, then a solid climb! Over the week I basically performed a 20-minute FTP test almost every morning up that first climb, and that’s before the rest of the climbing the Adelaide Hills throw at you. Thankfully, there’s always a fantastic descent at the end of every ride.

I spent the mornings racking up miles in the Hills with Lily and Mike, then the afternoons watching the race on the big screen in the event village, plus some exploring further afield (I hired a car this year).

If you’ve never made the trip to the TdU, lock it in one year. The entire city turns into one big road cycling mecca. It feels like every roadie worth their salt rocks up in Adelaide for the week. You’ll also likely spot a number of World Tour pros out for a spin. One morning we were passed up Norton Summit by the Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Pro Team.

Here’s a few quick statistics from my week:

• Six times up Norton Summit
• Three times to Mount Lofty Summit
• Top temperature while riding: 43 deg C (110F)
• Over 1000 TSS in TrainingPeaks
• More than 5000 metres (17,000ft) of elevation gain
• Increased FTP detected twice by Garmin

I returned home absolutely smoked, but with a rekindled love for the ride. It doesn’t get better than that!