Willunga Hill's stature as the 'queen' of Australia's stage racing climbs is under threat this week at the Tour Down Under, with riders, director sportifs and even race director Mike Turtur suggesting Paracombe will usurp the 3km climb, taking the crown and new title.
Paracombe, also known as Torrens Hills Road, made its race debut in 2015, with Rohan Dennis coming from last wheel in the select front group to take the win three seconds ahead of BMC teammate Cadel Evans and set up the overall victory.
Whereas the peloton thundered down the Gorge before taking a sharp left-hander and exploding up the 1.6km climb, in 2017 the stage starts with five challenging circuits of the course in Stirling, which traditionally hosts a stage finish. The riders then head through the Adelaide hills and down Norton Summit, across to Magill and Athelstone before starting the ascent up the Gorge to Paracombe.
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"I think it can go one or two ways. It can be really defensive and really slow then there is a big bunch or things are just going to explode," Dennis said of how he sees the stage playing out.
Not long enough for the likes of an Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) to fully express his talents but short enough for his teammate Simon Gerrans to display his full weaponry, the climb on paper is suited to a variety of riders. The weather and race tactics appear most likely to shape the outcome of the stage and determine who will shine brightest.
Director sportifs Kim Andersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Philippe Mauduit (Bahrain-Merida) both explained to Cyclingnews ahead of the Tour Down Under that they see a selected group contesting for the stage finish and little change to the top 10 on GC for the remainder of the race.
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