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Sarah Gigante smashes Strava record in Willunga Hill time trial win

) were the unsurprising winners of a mass start time trial up Willunga Hill on Saturday morning, as the current and former pros went up against the public on the famed 

The start ramp of the time trial was not exactly where the 

 KoM segment officially begins, but there was no stopping Gigante as she likely took a flying start to her effort and subsequently smashed her previous best time of 8:13. 

won the Tour Down Under on Willunga Hill last Sunday

, predictably won the women’s event, clocking a time of 8:16 - the time trial course did not match up to the Strava segment - five seconds faster than Marion Bunel in second. Last Sunday, the windy conditions meant that Gigante’s stage-winning time was over nine minutes, but the wind directions were much more favourable on Saturday.

There was slight confusion at first as to whether Gigante had managed to beat her previous Queen Of the Mountain record, but after uploading her effort to Strava, the scale of her achievement became clear. 

In the time trial, Gigante clocked in a 7:53 effort on the Old Willunga Hill Strava segment, as she became the first woman in history to ride a sub-8 minute time on Australia's most hallowed climb. With an average power of 313 Watts, Gigante's new Strava record is remarkably 1:30 faster than the next female rider, Carlee Taylor. 

Gigante and Bunel’s times were fast enough to put them seventh and eighth in the time trial event overall, beating all but six of the male starters, as the AG Insurance-Soudal rider fulfilled her promise of taking the best form of her career into this block of racing and attacking her 2021 QoM. 

Sarah Gigante to chase Willunga Hill Strava KoM in Richie Porte time trial

Sarah Gigante: I'm in the best form I've ever had ahead of Tour Down Under

 (formerly Twitter) to express her delight: "Everything was PERFECT about last weekend...apart from not beating my Strava time. Wind makes a big difference! Today I was over a minute faster, and more importantly, I was 20 seconds better than my 2021 PB! The sign at the top will have to be updated after all #havingfun."

Porte wins men's time trial, as Onley falls shy of overall record

Despite now being retired, Richie Porte remains the so-called king of Willunga after winning the men's time trial event on Saturday. The former pro set a time of 6:47 on the time trial course, surprisingly close to his KoM-topping 6:34 record. 

Shortly after the time trial event, the men's Santos Tour Down Under peloton was to rampage up the climb on stage 5 of the race, and there was a sense that Porte's achievement might be bettered.

Riders recon Willunga Hill: Might the Strava records fall in Tour Down Under?

 (dsm-firmenich PostNL) originally set the fastest time so far this year in training and whilst his recon was still a good 30 seconds off Porte’s record, Israel-Premier Tech's Derek Gee soon went quicker than the British climber and it was becoming apparent that many riders were heading into the Tour Down Under in a rich vein of form. 

'I want to go for those podiums and wins' says Oscar Onley

With the wind blowing in favour of the riders and the race set to explode around punchy leader Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates), Porte’s long-standing crown was momentarily in peril as the likes of Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla), Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) and Stevie Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) attacked on stage 5 of the Tour Down Under. 

From the Willunga Hill chaos emerged Onley, who took a flyer on his race rivals and sprinted to victory atop the iconic climb. After his training ride had many tipping the Brit for victory, the rider from Scotland fulfilled his pre-race promise and landed a sensational first professional victory. 

His blistering time up the Old Willinga Hill Strava segment, however, fell painstakingly one second short of matching Porte's KoM from 2020. 

Winning stage 5 with a segment time of 6:35

, Onley would have to settle for the joy of stage victory, as Williams went into the race lead ahead of Sunday's final stage. 

Tour Down Under: Stevie Williams ‘over the moon’ in leader’s jersey but tough defence looms

For more about the 2024 men's Santos Tour Down Under, including 

Sarah Gigante to chase Willunga Hill Strava KoM in Richie Porte time trial 

 Queen of the Mountains on Saturday in a time trial against men’s record holder Richie Porte.

Gigante has held the best women’s time up Willunga Hill since 2021 and 

won the Tour Down Under stage there on Sunday

, but block headwinds up the climb prevented her winning ascent from being a record-breaking one too.

“When we drove to Adelaide, I said sorry but we've got to do a detour to Willunga, because I need to get a photo with the sign,” Gigante said, explaining how she wanted evidence of the record she expected to be broken in Sunday’s race.

“But I don't think anyone took it because we had a massive block headwind, even though I did better power, and power to weight than last time.”

However, the 23-year-old isn’t giving up on her hopes of breaking her own record, and will take part in a time trial next weekend, with the public and pros pitting themselves against Richie Porte and his time.

“I'm coming back on Saturday, for a new attempt. There's a Willunga time trial, against Richie. He's retired but I'm not, so look out,” the confident Australian said on Sunday.

Despite the headwind conditions, Gigante completed the climb in 9:02, which would sit as the second-fastest time on Strava, but not quite enough to beat her record 8:13 time.

In Saturday’s time trial, Gigante will be looking to better her time, and also beat the so-called King of Willunga, who will be heading off the start line last to see what time he can set now 13 months into retirement.

As well as beating Porte on the day, Gigante may also have dreams of one day beating the retired rider’s all-time record, as she joked about over the weekend.

“The only time I talked to Richie was in the elevator after we both won up Willunga a few years ago. He said ‘well done’ and I said ‘thanks, but I’m a bit sad I didn’t beat your time’,” Gigante told 

 ahead of stage 3. “He just looked at me like I was a bit crazy.”

It may have been crazy then, for the precocious 20-year-old, but she’s now got a Willunga Hill and Tour Down Under victory of her own under her belt, and is clearly on flying form. As Gigante said, Porte and the Strava QoM should look out.

 KOM on Willunga Hill still stands undefeated. The world's best have come and gone but to no avail, with the Australian's blistering time of 6:34 yet to be toppled. 

's QOM of 8:13, which was set back in January 2021. On the eve of the upcoming 

 rider recently returned to the climb to check out the signpost marking her record, and it turns out, she is not the only professional to recon Willunga Hill of late. 

On Monday, we heard that Formula One driver 

Valtteri Bottas had posted the 15th-fastest time

 up Willunga Hill so far in 2024. It was and is an impressive feat by the 10-time Grand Prix winner, but Bottas will now have to settle for 45th in the rankings, as an armada of professional cyclists have descended on the climb and clearly ridden it nearing full gas. 

 (Ineos Grenadiers) have all reconned Willunga Hill, as have 

 (Visma-Lease a Bike) from the women's peloton. 

So quick have some of the times been from recons, that Porte's long-standing record perhaps looks in danger. That will not dissuade Porte though, who will actually take part in a public time trial on Willunga Hill and recently previewed the race in our stage-by-stage guide.

Tour Down Under: Richie Porte's stage-by-stage guide to the men’s race

dsm-firmenich PostNL set ferocious times up Willunga Hill 

Not only does Willunga Hill draw excitement ahead of the Tour Down Under, but so too does the opportunity for new team kits to be spotted in the peloton for the first time. Recently we have seen 

 all unveil their new jerseys for 2024, and all three teams have taken to Willunga Hill en masse. 

Both Gladys Verhulst-Wild and Évita Muzic represented FDJ-SUEZ on the climb on Wednesday morning, whilst Canyon-SRAM rode up Willunga Hill on Tuesday and certainly held nothing back. 

Alex Morrice, Tiffany Cromwell and Alice Towers wore last year's kit as they made their attack on the 3.4km-long climb and it was the latter who set the fastest time by a woman thus far in 2024. The Brit might be a rider to watch in their latest attire this weekend. 

Canyon-SRAM drop their 2024 kit with a bolder than ever design

Women's Santos Tour Down Under 2024 race preview

As for dsm-firmenich PostNL, four members of their Santos Tour Down Under squad now sit inside the top 10 times set on Willunga Hill this year. Pavel Bittner, Sean Flynn, Chris Hamilton and 

 all rode the climb on Wednesday, with Hamilton clocking in a 7:39 and Onley going over 30 seconds faster to set the fastest time anyone has achieved this year. 

Keep in mind that Porte's KOM from 2020 is an eye-watering 6:34, the British climber's heart rate averaged 181bpm as he rode up the Old Willunga Hill Strava segment in 7:07. 

The dsm-firmenich PostNL quartet posted a 155km ride on Wednesday and Onley's efforts were not only enough to see him take the fastest time on Willunga Hill this year, but also propel the Brit into the third-fastest of all time in the climb's final kilometre. The 21-year-old rode the final kilometre of Willunga Hill in 2:05, which is only bettered by Michael Woods' time of 2:00 and Porte's of 1:48. 

Much like Towers in the women's Tour Down Under, Onley looks a man to watch as the men's Tour Down Under scales the iconic Willunga Hill on 20 January. 

What do you think: will any riders come close to beating Richie Porte's or Sarah Gigante's Strava records this year? Or will Willunga Hill stand imperious for another year? Let us know your predictions in the comments! 

Analysis

Richie Porte was a two-time winner of the 

 throughout his 15-year career and won eight stages along the way. The Australian's connection with his home race is inextricably linked with the iconic Willunga Hill, upon which Porte emerged victorious a record-breaking seven times. 

Australia's most famous climb will headline this year's race once again and despite being retired since 2022, the former 

 man will feature in a new public time trial event on Willunga Hill, with members of the public invited to try and set a blistering new KOM. 

Between his preparations to return to Willunga Hill and his busy post-retirement life, we asked Porte to talk us through this year's Tour Down Under route. Each stage at a time, we hear insights from the former 

 podium finisher and find out where the race may be won. 

Stage 1 of the Tour Down Under always feels like the real start of the racing season for a lot of riders. Some of the Australians have raced nationals, and there’s the criterium the day before but this stage feels like the real curtain raiser and the race organisers have gone for a really exciting profile on stage 1 with the race starting and finishing in Tanunda.

The key standout feature is Menglers Hill. It’s a really imposing climb for a rider to face once you turn onto the lower slopes but the road is skinny enough for teams to block attacks. The riders take on the climb three times, with the last ascent around 14km from the finish line. That’s enough time to come back if you’re dropped but I think we’ll see some damage done, especially on the final ascent as teams try and drop some of the weaker sprinters who maybe aren’t used to the big efforts this early in the season. 

I still think we’ll get a sprint finish with a large group and to be honest the GC guys will be more than happy with that. They’ll want a sprinter’s team to be in control of the race at this point. As a rider, most of the day will be spent getting used to new equipment, teammates and your surroundings. There’s always something to look out for with the bonus sprints but the main objective for the GC riders is to come through this without losing time.

Stage 2 continues the format of racing up a climb multiple times and this time it’s Fox Creek, which the riders ascend on two occasions having crested Norton Summit right at the start. 

On paper, this is a sprint finish but there’s almost 3,000m of vertical climbing and I can see this being a reduced bunch sprint of around 30 to 40 riders. We did Fox Creek a few years ago and it’s a proper hard climb with a false flat from the bottom but then a really steep pitch in it. If it’s hot, or someone is out of position, you can easily lose position if a team drills it. 

) winning here like he did in 2021 when we used this climb as part of the Santos Festival of Cycling. He was so good and just rode away from everyone. It’s a decisive day but an in-form sprinter could make it. A bunch of sprinters will be dropped though and there are a couple of unclassified bumps before the finish too.

Luke Plapp and Grace Brown win Australian national time trial titles

The organisers seem in favour of hard starts and exciting racing right from the gun and for the second day running they’ve put a climb at the start with the ascent of Tea Tree Gully Hill. It’s just over 2km in length but has pitches of over 15 per cent, so there are going to be attacks as soon as the flag is dropped. 

The second half of the stage is a rolling affair and this looks like another day for the sprinters but it’s a stage where the main teams will need to be vigilant and watch who goes in the break. 

Caleb Ewan in the prime of his career ahead of Tour Down Under, says Matt White

The standout feature for me though is the flat-out descent from Gorge Road at Paracombe that comes near the end. Jack Bobridge won in Campbelltown in 2015 and the run down from the Gorge is one of the fastest stretches of road you can do in cycling. It’s not the most technical but the speeds will be incredibly high, so positioning is super important.

Murray Bridge is a long way out from the city, and to me, it always felt like the outback. There’s not much vegetation there, there’s always the chance of some cross-wind action and the finish is by the coast. It’s still a day for the sprinters but the winds could be a factor near the finish too because of the coastal winds. 

2024 Tour Down Under start lists confirmed

I remember losing nine seconds on GC in a finish like this before when we went through a roundabout with 2km to go. There was almost a crash, someone had their foot down and the bunch immediately split. This might look like an easy stage on paper because of the lack of big climbs and the slightly shorter distance but this is one of those days when the nerves will be high. There’s always wind about.

I know this stage relatively well. Willunga Hill is always the Queen stage but this time there’s a different start from what I remember when I was racing. With it being by the coast you can bet that some team is going to want to try and break up the race in the crosswinds. They’ll come up to you and ask if you want to join in and help split things up but it never really works because everyone is so dialled in on Willunga Hill and the two ascents. 

I think a break will go early and you can give them four or five minutes before you have to start chasing. I remember that when I was with 

 super early when Matt Holmes won. It can be a tactical battle but the GC riders who can really climb will want the break to be reeled in because of the bonus seconds at the top.

Positioning is massive on the run-in to the climb and you have to burn some matches on the approach but you want your big, strong teammates, to put you near the front. There’s a huge fight and incredibly hectic with guys off in the gravel as they try and come through. The first ascent is just ridden at tempo but the pace increases over the top.

Valtteri Bottas sets searing Strava time on Willunga Hill ahead of its Tour Down Under return

Can Julian Alaphilippe light up Tour Down Under with Willunga Hill fireworks?

The hardest part of the climb is probably between 1.2km to go and the final 300m. That’s where you win it. I never understood why teams didn’t attack me from the start of the climb though. There was one year when Sky had a rider off the front when I was at BMC Racing and then Wout Poels was on GC for them. That was probably the trickiest moment I had.

Instead most times they just waited for me to attack. If 

 started firing guys up the road this year, provided they don’t have the jersey, they could have 

 waiting in the wings. If you’re going full gas it’s an almost seven-minute effort at around 450w for a guy around 60kg.

Stuart O’Grady and his team have done a great job with the route for this year’s race and they’ve kept the door open on GC right up to the final day and the climb to Mount Lofty. The peloton covers the climb three times with a summit finish and everything could still be wide open at this point.

Stuart O’Grady expecting an ‘epic finale’ at Tour Down Under

If a climber is in the lead following Willunga then the dynamics shouldn’t change too much but if a strong all-rounder builds up a decent lead in the first four stages, and manages to hold onto the overall lead after Willunga, then this stage could be explosive. Lofty isn’t as hard as Willunga - and I’ve only done it in training - but you can make a difference and the worst thing would be going into the final day with a sense of complacency. 

You have to remember, that even if the overall win is secure, you’re going to get riders fighting for the top ten because of the all-important WorldTour points. Teams will throw the kitchen sink at this stage. There’s almost 3,000m of climbing in less than 130km, so we’re going to get action from start to finish.

Richie Porte

Lifestyle

Adventure

GCN goes gravel riding with Valtteri Bottas and Tiffany Cromwell in Adelaide

, our intrepid presenter has been keen to get out on his bike for a true Aussie adventure. 

 feed will tell you all you need to know: South Australia is a fantastic place to ride a bike. In our latest video from Down Under, Alex is treated to an ultimate group ride with Formula 1 modern-great, Valtteri Bottas, and WorldTour 

Who better to act as tour guides for Alex' adventure along the gravel trails of Adelaide? 

Cromwell is in flying form having raced a lengthy block in her homeland, including the 

. Bottas, to his credit, is in good shape as well, having set an impressive Strava time up Old Willunga Hill earlier in the month. 

Bottas and his partner Cromwell have recently hosted the inaugural edition of 

, a brand-new gravel event hosted in Adelaide, which takes in some of the most 'rad' trails and roads in the McLaren Vale wine country. 

It is the second such event that the pair have hosted, following the first-ever 

 put on by Bottas and Cromwell last year, in partnership with the organisers behind America's SBT GRVL. That event was held in Bottas' native Finland, with 

When the event was announced, Cromwell could not hide her delight: “I’ve spent years racing professionally, and the unpaved roads around my hometown of Adelaide are the reason I fell in love with gravel cycling.

"I’m looking forward to bringing RADL GRVL to McLaren Vale at Santos Tour Down Under this January and showing riders from around Australia and beyond what makes the riding, scenery, and hospitality in South Australia so special.”

Tiffany Cromwell and Valtteri Bottas launch Australian gravel event with $10,000 AUD prize purse

In the latest of Alex's rides down under, he is treated to an afternoon in the saddle on some of the parcours of RADL GRVL. 

With over 1,100m of climbing over the 57km ride, it is no easy day out, but on the wheels of Cromwell and Bottas, Alex gets to discover the beautiful, rolling route of Australia's latest blockbuster gravel race. 

Check out the video above to gain a dose of wanderlust and discover if Alex could hang with these two gravel experts! For more off-road stories, see the 

Julian Alaphilippe calls into question his Soudal Quick-Step future and possible retirement

) struck out for home atop Willunga Hill. For a moment it looked as though the prince of panache was the Frenchman of old, as Alaphilippe thrust his head over the bars and loosened up his shoulders for a race-winning attack we will never tire of seeing. 

As he rode over the King of Willunga Hill insignia with a little more than 100m to go, over Alaphilippe's shoulder came not 

, as one might expect after a decade of domination before retirement, but the spritely figure of 

With a click of his heels, Onley was on the march to victory. Alaphilippe succumbed to defeat, eventually finishing in fourth place. Nonetheless, it was an impressive showing for the man in his contract year, with Alaphilippe bidding to reclaim his seat among the sport's elites before his current Soudal Quick-Step contract is up in 12 months' time. 

But whilst many expected Alaphilippe's contract situation to hang over his head in 2024, given the couple of barren years he has endured, the 31-year-old is rather more nonchalant when assessing the importance of his upcoming campaign. 

"To be honest, I took every season of my career like it’s the last one," says Alaphilippe. "I never think about ‘fuck, it’s my contract year’ or ‘oh, last year I won a lot so this year I don’t care.’ Every new season I started with grinta, like I won nothing before. I always think like this. 

"To be honest, I don’t know where I will be next year, if I continue in the team [or] if I continue cycling, I don’t know."

Alaphilippe is his usual relaxed self as he sits down to speak to 

 and a roundtable of journalists at the Santos Tour Down Under. With an uninterrupted winter of training behind him, an impressive performance on Willunga Hill in his back pocket and a fresh race calendar to look forward to in 2024, the Frenchman sports a smile as he looks ahead to his 11th - and possibly final - season with Soudal Quick-Step.

"It was a really beautiful few weeks we have here and after, it will be the time to start in Europe for the Classics and a completely different mood and atmosphere and weather, but I think I am already happy now."

'A lot of times, I did efforts just to kill myself' 

Heading into the Tour Down Under, there was perhaps an unfair expectation of Alaphilippe's performance. The Soudal Quick-Step team lacked another viable contender for the overall win and with Alaphilippe heading into the final year of his contract, there was a thought that said the Frenchman would come out all guns blazing. 

However, it was never Alaphilippe's plan to hit top form in January. Rather, his performance on Willunga Hill came as a pleasant surprise. 

"I saw the result of a good feeling. Simply, I came here with the ambition to see how I feel and I was realistic with my ambition about results, because I knew what I did during the winter," he says. "I was surprised that I can fight with the best guys until the top of the climb, it is a good surprise, to be honest."

"I knew it would be difficult to win because the guys that win here, I know they train à bloc all winter since November and even October. I knew where I am and it’s a good surprise to be there already."

What will please Alaphilippe and his Soudal Quick-Step more than his fourth place on Willunga and sixth place overall, however, is that the Frenchman was in contention to win stage 5, even if just for a moment. 

It has been a long time since that could be said of Alaphilippe, with his last victory coming back at the Critérium du Dauphiné last June. Since that race, the two-time world champion had clocked up only two other top-ten placings heading into this season, and the plight of Alaphilippe dates back even further. 

Once one of the peloton's serial winners alongside the likes of 

 (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Alaphilippe has since lost his edge and holds only two WorldTour victories since his second World Championship Road Race win in 2021. 

To be in the fight for a prestigious win at the Tour Down Under, then, was of great delight to Alaphilippe, who opened up about his struggles since his nasty crash at the 2022 Liège-Bastogne-Liège – perhaps the moment Alaphilippe's crown as one of the world's best slipped.

"I was in the mood to really fight, go in the red zone and really stay there," Alaphilippe reflects on Willunga Hill. "I never lost this spirit [in the past], but physically I [couldn't]. When I felt that I could not win, a lot of times I did efforts just to kill myself, because it was not funny for me to destroy myself when I knew I cannot win.

"I know myself and one year ago for sure, in this situation, I will feel directly I cannot win and I will attack or I will do two/three big efforts, explode and drop just to destroy myself."

After a couple of forgettable seasons, it sounds as though Alaphilippe is beginning to feel the sensations of old, which will come as welcome news to his legions of fans who would like nothing more than to see the Frenchman battling against the likes of Van Aert and Van der Poel for the most prestigious one-day titles this season. 

There were signs that Alaphilippe was regathering himself at the end of last season and a strong performance in Coppa Bernocchi was a standout, but the Frenchman admits that the season was running out before he was able to regather his best level. Instead, his attention immediately turned to 2024 and what he would need to do over the winter to prepare himself for a comeback campaign. 

"I did nothing crazy this winter, normal training, no big hours, no crazy intensity, because the most important for me was to build a good base and to improve from now to my goals," he says. "It is why I am surprised to be there [on Willunga Hill], because maybe for a lot of people, it can be a disappointment again, but for me, I take it as a really big thing."

"I was back on that way to fight for the victory with the good feeling. I was just focused to stay on the red zone and it was a long time that I didn’t fight like this at this part of the race."

'I just do my job, and Patrick Lefevere does his job'

Speculation around Alaphilippe's future surfaced heading into this season not just because he is entering the final 12 months of his contract, or because his wins have somewhat dried up in recent years, but also as a result of what looked like a fractious relationship between him and Soudal Quick-Step team boss, Patrick Lefevere. 

Although Alaphilippe was once the golden child of the Quick-Step operation, having blossomed from their development team and shocked the world by finishing fifth at the 2019 Tour de France, the Frenchman seemed to have fallen out of favour. 

After his Liège-Bastogne-Liège crash, the team decided not to select Alaphilippe for the 2022 Tour de France and at the end of the season, Lefevere went on record accusing his star puncheur of "hiding" behind his numerous setbacks. At a time when Alaphilippe was looking to recover from what was a season of misfortune, Lefevere publicly questioned his commitment.

In the past, such rhetoric from Lefevere has been used to josh with his star riders and act as a playful tool of motivation, or a subtle tact of contract negotiations. 

But the story between Alaphilippe and Lefevere took another turn in November, when the Frenchman's cousin was let go by the team, having served as a coach since the end of 2019. Speaking to CyclismActu at the time, Franck Alaphilippe pointed to internal tension as an explanation for his departure. 

"After the merger [discussions], there were tensions between Patrick Lefevere and Julian, which again made my situation a bit uncertain. So I wasn't really surprised when I heard that I wasn't allowed to stay," he said.

Julian Alaphilippe's coach let go by Soudal Quick-Step amid tensions with Patrick Lefevere

Contrary to how it may appear from the outside, however, Alaphilippe insists that his relationship with the Belgian has not deteriorated. 

"To be honest, my relationship with Patrick was always the same the last few years. We always talk together when it was super good and when it was less good."

Alaphilippe won't be drawn on the tittle-tattle of public spats – "I don't care [about the comments], I just do what I have to do" – instead, the 31-year-old is focused on proving his worth on the bike before worrying about things such as contract renegotiations with his team boss. 

"I think now I am really busy, I give my best every day, I know also how professional I am, so I just do my job and he does his job. I think now he is quite busy and me too, so if we have to talk together, we always do and the relationship was always ok."

Giro d'Italia debut awaits for Alaphilippe 

Ever since he won two stages and the polka-dot jersey at the 2018 Tour de France, his home Grand Tour has always been synonymous with the name Julian Alaphilippe. There were heroics in 2019, with two more stage wins and 14 days spent in the hallowed yellow jersey. He came up trumps once again with stage victories at the 2020 and 2021 editions, before missing out on selection in 2022. 

This year, however, Alaphilippe, rather than his team, has decided that the Tour de France will not be on his race programme. It will mark the first time since his Grand Tour debut at the 2016 Tour, that the 

 will not be his primary target for the season. But for Alaphilippe, the decision is a long time coming. 

"It is mostly a decision to come from myself, because it is already a few years that I said to my team that I want to do Giro one time in my career," he says. "I never did it yet. This year I want to come back on my best level, within my head the goal [is] to be 100 per cent if I can for the Flemish Classics and especially the Tour of Flanders, with the idea to do the Giro afterwards."

Julian Alaphilippe targets Tour of Flanders victory in 2024

No doubt playing into the team's decision is their own ambitions for July, which will be to support 

 in his mount on a Tour de France podium finish, which might have otherwise squeezed the freedom allowed to Alaphilippe. 

The Frenchman was, of course, part of Evenepoel's 2022 Vuelta a España winning side, and played a crucial role over the race's first two weeks - before he crashed out - as Evenepoel developed a buffer over 

Should he return to his blistering best this season, though, Alaphilippe deserves the opportunity to be part of an aggressive Soudal Quick-Step team at a Grand Tour. After six Tours de France and two editions of the Vuelta a España have yielded seven Grand Tour stage victories, Alaphilippe will be looking to join the treble club on Giro d'Italia debut this May. 

"I have the dream to win a stage, but we will have a strong team with a sprinter and a lot of opportunities," he says, before quelling the rising expectations of his maiden bow in Italy. "To be honest, I don’t think about the Giro yet, I just know that it will be nice because it is something that I will prepare [for] and give my best. I take it race after race."

Alaphilippe will join another star-studded lineup at the Giro d'Italia, who, after last year's showdown between Grand Tour champions Roglič and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), have been able to attract Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) to the start this time around. 

Tadej Pogačar to race Tour de France, Olympics, and Worlds after Giro debut

It will be a Giro debut for both Alaphilippe and Pogačar, and we can expect to see the pair go head-to-head in some of the stages which suit a rider in the puncheur ilk of the Frenchman. Alaphilippe is under no illusion that winning a stage will be an easy feat. 

"For sure it’s a different race but you don’t have to think that the Giro is more easy than the Tour or more easy than the Vuelta. Even here, there are always guys who are 100 percent always in every race. I know the Giro is really one of the hardest races, I saw on the television the last few years and it is a really tough race."

After two seasons blighted by injury and misfortune, however, just to see Alaphilippe mixing it with the likes of Pogačar for race victories, be it in the Tour of Flanders or the Giro d'Italia, would be a real return to form for the 31-year-old. 

At his sparkling best between 2018 and 2021, Alaphilippe was oftentimes unstoppable as he bounced his way into cycling's history books, with that exuberant style on the bike that drew so much love for the Frenchman. As he bobbed and weaved his way up mountains, or along the cobbles of the Flemish Classics, France had their hero. 

For all too long, that spark has been gone from Alaphilippe, who will now race what might well be his final season with his career-long team, Soudal Quick-Step. Regathering that magic, then, is at the top of Alaphilippe's agenda as he looks to the new campaign with a renewed sense of optimism. 

"It is nice to have new goals and after two difficult seasons, it is nice to choose your goal, to take your time, to go where you want to go and to be 100 per cent where you have to be, but like I said before, to be at my level 100 per cent, this is my first goal of the season. I think I have a good programme to try to make it."

Five takeaways from the Santos Tour Down Under

 are always events that begin to set the tone for the rest of the calendar. It’s the first time we see riders racing for new teams, using 

, and showing off their form ahead of their year-long goals.

The races are also increasingly becoming important points on the calendar for teams other than Australia’s only WorldTour outfits, 

. As such, the quality of racing is going through the roof and this can be seen in the lightning-fast times set 

 KoM. The road season is upon us, and upon us at full canter.

Sarah Gigante smashes Strava record on Willunga Hill, as Oscar Onley falls just short of KoM

) may have come up just one-second shy of Porte’s all-time record, but there were talking points aplenty well before the men’s peloton tackled Australia’s most recognised climb. In the women’s Tour Down Under, the story of the race was 

), who made Willunga Hill her own along with the ochre jersey, which she was able to win for the first time in her career.

It was a race to remember for AG Insurance-Soudal, who claimed victory on stage 1 with 

’s fearsome uphill sprint on the penultimate day. Where Uttrup Ludwig led, 

 followed, with the Mexican also producing a lung-busting sprint to outwit the peloton in the men’s Tour Down Under.

From the arrival of Delo Toro into cycling’s elite to the British takeover of the final two hilly stages, the men’s Tour Down Under was never without excitement from the moment the flag dropped on stage 1. Over the combined nine days of racing, this year’s Tours Down Under were perhaps the most memorable in recent memory.

Before the WorldTour makes its slow march to Europe 

, we sat down to reflect on the five biggest takeaways from this year’s WorldTour curtain raiser.

New team, new success for Sam Welsford and Sarah Gigante

Joining a new team often means riders need a little bit of time to really bond and gel with their teammates and get into a race-winning rhythm, but Sam Welsford and Sarah Gigante roundly disproved that theory down under.

Sarah Gigante made a last-minute, unexpected move to AG Insurance-Soudal from Movistar over the winter, and took to her new team like a duck to water. The Australian often said that she didn’t even feel new in the team, which speaks to how well she gelled with her new teammates. The squad bonded on and off the bike, and Gigante clearly linked up well with her new sports director Servais Knaven. With a new team, Gigante truly seemed like a brand new rider in Australia, with no first-day-of-school jitters to be found.

In Welsford’s case, the quick team gelling is perhaps even more impressive, given the fact that lead-outs are one of the parts of cycling where dialled-in communication and collaboration are crucial. If you hadn’t known Welsford was a new addition, you’d have thought he’d been sprinting behind Danny van Poppel and Ryan Mullen for a few years, not just a few days. Results-wise, too, Welsford was as transformed as Gigante, shifting from arguably a second-level sprinter to one who seemed totally unbeatable. More challenges await against stiffer competition, but the move has already paid off for Welsford.

Trust, power, and brawn over brains - why the Bora-Hansgrohe lead-out works so well

In the era of ultra-talented young riders, it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising to see them being successful, but it was interesting to see just how quickly some of the most hotly-tipped talents of 2024 proved themselves at the Tour Down Under.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) has been on most people’s radars since his Tour de l’Avenir victory last summer, and his WorldTour debut was keenly awaited. The 20-year-old wasted absolutely no time in delivering on his massive promise in Australia, 

. Later in the week, Oscar Onley took a similarly big result, with a win atop Willunga Hill, and neither rider has been shy in outlining their ambitions for improved results going forward.

Richie Porte is a former professional cyclist who finished on the podium of the Tour de France in 2020 and amassed 33 professional victories.

Richie Porte

Latest articles from Richie

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Five takeaways from the Santos Tour Down Under

GCN takes on former Tour Down Under winner Richie Porte on Willunga Hill

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