On a January afternoon the crowd on the Victor Harbor Esplanade leans into the barriers with the sea at its back, watching the road for the first riders through after Nettle Hill. The Tour Down Under 2027 races across the Fleurieu Peninsula on two days running, finishing on the Victor Harbor Esplanade on Friday 22 January and on Willunga Hill on Saturday 23 January, and Saturday’s stage loops through McLaren Vale on the way. The routes are out, the race is about 11 weeks off, and early November, with spring in the vines, is the time to decide where you will stand and where you will sleep.

The easy mistake with race weekend is to treat the Fleurieu stages as two separate day trips out of Adelaide. The Friday stage to Victor Harbor and the Saturday stage to Willunga Hill run back to back, and McLaren Vale sits on Saturday’s route. Stay in McLaren Vale or Willunga on the Friday night and you can watch the Victor Harbor finish, then wake within reach of the Saturday loop and the Willunga Hill climbs, with the cellar doors and a long lunch fitted in between.

Tour Down Under 2027: the Fleurieu stages day by day

On the Fleurieu, the 2027 route takes in McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor on the Friday, then McLaren Vale and Willunga on the Saturday. Saturday’s loop circles McLaren Vale and Willunga, which makes a strong case for sleeping there.

Friday 22 January: Glenelg to Victor Harbor

• Start: Glenelg, men from Colley Terrace at 10:40am, women at 12:10pm
• Finish: the Victor Harbor Esplanade, men expected at 2:14pm, women at 4:26pm

Saturday 23 January: Christies Beach to Willunga Hill

• Start: Christies Beach Esplanade, men at 10:40am, women at 12:10pm
• Loop through McLaren Vale and Willunga
• Finish: Willunga Hill (opens in a new window), on Brookman Road, men expected at 1:32pm, women at 3:36pm

Sunday 24 January: Norwood to Stirling

The final stage of the Tour Down Under leaves the Fleurieu behind. The Sunday stage starts in Norwood and finishes in Stirling in the Adelaide Hills, so Sunday is your choice: stay put on the Fleurieu, or drive up to the Hills for the last finish. The full routes are set out in the Tourism SA route announcement (opens in a new window).

When does the Tour Down Under finish in Victor Harbor in 2027?

The Tour Down Under finishes on the Victor Harbor Esplanade on Friday 22 January 2027. The Victor Harbor stage is men’s Stage 4 and women’s Stage 1, and it is the first stage where both races share the same finish.

The men leave Colley Terrace at Glenelg at 10:40am and are expected on the Victor Harbor Esplanade at 2:14pm. Nettle Hill is expected to bring attacks before the finish, so the group that arrives at Victor Harbor may be a good deal smaller than the one that rolled out of Glenelg.

The women start from Glenelg at 12:10pm and are expected on the Victor Harbor Esplanade at 4:26pm. Confirm both sets of times on the official Tour Down Under stages page (opens in a new window) closer to the day.

Pick one place to stand on the Friday, not two. The Victor Harbor Esplanade gives you the finish, the first of the week that the men and the women share, and a little over two hours between their arrivals to spend by the sea.

What is there to do in McLaren Vale on Tour Down Under weekend?

McLaren Vale on Tour Down Under weekend puts you on Saturday’s loop, between the Friday finish at Victor Harbor and the Willunga Hill climbs, with a district to fill the hours around the race. Take the McLaren Vale cellar doors after the riders have gone through, not before: on race morning your attention belongs to the road, and once the race has passed, McLaren Vale goes back to being a place for a slow lunch and a tasting.

We teach at Hastwell and Lightfoot in McLaren Vale, one of our Fleurieu Peninsula venues, and an easy choice for a McLaren Vale day trip from Adelaide. Our classes at Hastwell and Lightfoot include dumplings, gnocchi, the Sangria Sunday Paella Masterclass and Coast to Coals kingfish with Nicholas Finn. Our current kingfish date is at Hastwell and Lightfoot.

Race weekend is a summer plan, and the spring classes are on now. Mastering Gnocchi from Scratch runs at Hastwell and Lightfoot on Sunday 8 November at 11:30. The gnocchi class costs $125 per person, and spots are available. You make the gnocchi from scratch with your own hands, flour on the bench. Book your seat at the gnocchi class (opens in a new window).

The Sangria Sunday Paella Masterclass at Hastwell and Lightfoot on Sunday 6 December is sold out. Paella also runs at Bungala House, and the paella class page (opens in a new window) is the place to watch for future dates.

What time does the Tour Down Under finish on Willunga Hill in 2027?

On Saturday 23 January 2027 the men are expected to finish on Willunga Hill at 1:32pm and the women at 3:36pm. The finish line is on Brookman Road. Two hours between the finishes means one spot on Willunga Hill (opens in a new window) gives you both races decided on the same road.

Both races start on the Christies Beach Esplanade. The men start at 10:40am and the women at 12:10pm. The men’s stage from Christies Beach to Willunga Hill is 116.4 km.

From Christies Beach the route loops through McLaren Vale and Willunga, running the opposite way to previous years, then climbs Willunga Hill twice. If you have watched the Saturday loop in earlier years, expect to see the riders come round from the other direction.

The two climbs mean you see the riders twice on Willunga Hill. The riders pass once while the race is still sorting itself out, and again when the stage is being settled on the way to Brookman Road. Confirm every time on the Tour Down Under stages listing (opens in a new window) before race week, because an expected time is only that.

Check what is open in Willunga before race day, and if they suit your morning, carry breakfast from Willunga up to the climb.

On Friday the race came to the sea at Victor Harbor. On Saturday, from a verge on Willunga Hill as the women climb towards Brookman Road at 3:36pm, you watch it leave the vines behind, and you have not once had to drive home in between.

Before you go

• Friday 22 January 2027: Glenelg to Victor Harbor. Men start on Colley Terrace at 10:40am and are expected on the Victor Harbor Esplanade at 2:14pm; women start from Glenelg at 12:10pm and are expected at 4:26pm.
• Saturday 23 January 2027: Christies Beach to Willunga Hill. Men start at 10:40am, women at 12:10pm; expected finishes on Brookman Road at 1:32pm and 3:36pm.
• Sunday 24 January 2027: Norwood to Stirling in the Adelaide Hills.
• Times: confirm on the Tour Down Under stages page (opens in a new window) before race week.
• Willunga Farmers Market: check its hours before race day.
• Cooking class McLaren Vale: Hastwell and Lightfoot, under an hour from Adelaide. Mastering Gnocchi from Scratch (opens in a new window), Sunday 8 November at 11:30, $125 per person. All dates are on our classes page (opens in a new window).

See every class at this venue (opens in a new window)