Willunga Hill has been removed from stage 4 of the Santos Tour Down Under, due to the 'Extreme' fire danger rating for the area and forecast maximum temperatures of 43°C.
The second-last stage of the six-day race was set to play out over 176km with 2,492m of elevation gain across the course which included three ascents of the race staple, Willunga Hill. It now will start from Brighton an hour earlier at 10:10am local time and follow the same route to the Willunga township but the climb will be removed. That will reduce the stage to 131km.
“While the removal of the famous Willunga Hill climb is disappointing news for cycling fans – ultimately rider and spectator safety is always the number one priority for our event," said race director Stuart O'Grady in a statement.
“Following consultation with emergency services authorities, riders and the UCI, we have agreed to proceed with a modified program for Saturday’s racing."
The day had been expected to be one of the more challenging stages in the six day event, though stage 2 to Uraidla with its dual Corkscrew ascents was quick to set the scene for the overall battle, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG's former two race winners of Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez carving out an advantage of around a minute on their nearest rivals.
Now, with the key climbs of the iconic ascent carved out of the course on Saturday, it's likely to turn from what was anticipated as a stage for riders to fight for the final step of the podium – with eight riders within ten seconds of third-placed Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) – into a sprinters stage.
The finish line will be on High Street in the Willunga township, in the same spot as stage 1 of the Women's Tour Down Under, where Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-SUEZ) sprinted to victory.
The announcement doesn't come as a surprise given the conditions ahead, with stage 3 winner Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers) – who will now have another chance far sooner than he anticipated – saying there had been "a little bit of chatter" during the stage.
"I think people were more just wondering what was going to happen," said Welsford before the announcement was made.
The shortening and shift earlier of the stage may have changed the dynamics, still the heat is bound to have a considerable impact as even if it manages to reduce the time racing in the temperature peak as the forecast still is predicting temperatures of 40°C by 12:30.
"Today was hot, you could feel it out on the road. I mean it can be 35 on the air temp, but on the road, then it comes up quite hot," said Welsford before the announcement was made. "On your bike, computer it can say upwards of 40°C on some days, so we have to see."
Race organisers said that the final day of racing on stage 5 is "expected to proceed as planned".
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