Jhonatan Narvaez said winning last year's Tour Down Under in Australia set the tone for a successful season as he returns to defend his title along with women's champion Noemi Ruegg.

The UCI World Tour opener gets under way in Adelaide on Saturday in what is expected to be fierce heat.

Jhonatan Narvaez Returns To Defend His Tour Down Under Crown

Ecuador's Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) blasted his way up the brutal Willunga Hill last year while Switzerland's Ruegg (EF Education-Oatly) also mastered the daunting climb to take the women's ochre winner's jersey.

Narvaez, a winner of two stages in the Giro d'Italia, heads a powerful UAE Team Emirates lineup featuring former Tour Down Under winner Jay Vine of Australia and Britain's 2023 Tour de France podium finisher Adam Yates, who is making his debut in Australia.

"Last year's win was a big moment. To start my career at UAE with that result was amazing and set the tone for the year," Narvaez said ahead of the men's five-stage TDU beginning on Tuesday.

Ben O'Connor And Noemi Ruegg Among Key Challengers

"2025 was an incredible season for our whole team, we showed how strong and united we are. Now we start again from zero, with the same ambition and hunger to keep building on that success."

Australia's Ben O'Connor (Team Jayco-Alula) is another general classification contender, coming into his home tour with a stage win in last year's Tour de France and finishing runner-up in the Vuelta a España in 2024.

The men's stages have been described by tour organizers as making for the "toughest race on record" and cover a total of 758.9 kilometers (471.5 miles) with two ascents of the "Corkscrew" and three climbs up Willunga Hill, all in expected sweltering heat.

Ruegg's main obstacle to pull off back-to-back women's TDU wins may come from one of her own teammates, UCI world road race champion Magdeleine Vallieres.

The Canadian is the first reigning world champion to ride the Women's Tour Down Under and comes after her world championship victory in Rwanda.

Australia's three-time TDU winner Amanda Spratt, who recently announced she will retire at the end of this year, will line up for Lidl-Trek in the three-stage women's race, getting under way on Saturday.

This year's women's riders will not have to contend with Willunga Hill.