Favorites stage 5 Tour Down Under 2025 | All to play for heading into the traditional decider

Willunga Hill! If one climb is associated with the Tour Down Under, it is this one. For years, it has been included in the route of the WorldTour race in South Australia, and to date, it has not disappointed. What will it bring in 2025? IDLProCycling.com looks ahead and shares the details!

Course stage 5 Tour Down Under 2025

Willunga Hill, Willunga Hill! If there is one climb closely associated with the Australian season opener, it is, of course, this one. The 3.3-kilometer climb, which climbs at an average of 7.4 percent, brings spectacle every year. The top climbers can use the first passage, 25 kilometers from the finish, to hurt the punchers, and then it all comes down to the final climb.

Last year, Oscar Onley won on behalf of (then) dsm-firmenich PostNL. The Scot held off Welshman Stephen Williams and Jhonatan Narváez, but they will have another chance for revenge because all of them are present in the 2025 edition.

Climbs
21.5 km: Wickham Hill (3.0 km a 6.7%)
123.0 km: Willunga Hill (3.3 km a 7.4%)
145.7 km: Willunga Hill (3.3 km a 7.4%)

Times
Start: 7:40 PM EST
Finish: 11:23 PM EST

Weather stage 5 Tour Down Under 2025

The riders have nothing to fear about the weather on Saturday. The temperature will be around 25 degrees Celsius, and the wind will not be blowing too hard, although it will be at an angle.

Favorites stage 5 Tour Down Under 2025

More or less seventeen riders still have serious prospects of the final victory in the Tour Down Under, as they are still within 15 seconds of each other. Javier Romo is in the best position theoretically after his stage victory on day three on behalf of Movistar. Still, the Spaniard can expect to be attacked in every possible way on Saturday.

Indeed, shortly behind him, Jhonatan Narváez of UAE-Emirates XRG is already appearing. The Ecuadorian rider collected several bonus seconds throughout the race and did so with one goal: taking the GC. Jay Vine is still in reach of his goal on behalf of that team, but he crashed on Friday.

Based on last season, we can expect Narváez, Willunga Hill winner Oscar Onley of Picnic PostNL, and last year's overall winner Stephen Williams on behalf of Israel-Premier Tech. The Welshman crashed on Thursday, so we're unsure of his current form.

All right, who else? Luke Plapp. As a proud Aussie, Luke Plapp would be only too happy to control this course. Chris Harper and Mauro Schmid at Jayco AlUla support him. Finn Fisher-Black is the frontman for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and showed his form with a third-place finish on Thursday.

Lidl-Trek has the riders to play with, with top talent Albert Withen Philipsen and Andrea Bagioli and experienced men Patrick Konrad and Bauke Mollema in the pack. In addition, Thomas Gloag (Visma | Lease a Bike), Sergio Higuita (XDS Astana), Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ), Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R), and Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious) managed to get to the top of Knots Hill with the best riders on Thursday.

Favorites stage 5 Tour Down Under 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: Jhonatan Narváez (UAE-Emiraes XRG) and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL)
Outsiders: Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl-Trek) and Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech)
Long shots: Jay Vine (UAE-Emirates XRG), Javier Romo (Movistar), Bauke Mollema, Patrick Konrad (Lidl-Trek), Thomas Gloag (Visma | Lease a Bike), Sergio Higuita (XDS Astana), Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R) and Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers)

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