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

Four years on from Richie Porte's second and final Tour Down Under crown, his Strava 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.

The same can be said for Sarah Gigante's QOM of 8:13, which was set back in January 2021. On the eve of the upcoming women's Santos Tour Down Under, the AG Insurance-Soudal 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.

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

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.

Over the past few days, the likes of Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe), Lilian Calmejane (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) have all reconned Willunga Hill, as have Heidi Franz (Lifeplus Wahoo), Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek) and Maud Oudeman (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.

Read more: 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 dsm-firmenich PostNL, FDJ-SUEZ and Canyon-SRAM 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.

Read more:

• 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 Oscar Onley 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!