Saturday, January 26, will be the penultimate day of the Tour Down Under. Elite riders from the world’s top 18 professional teams will wind their way through McLaren Vale in South Australia and over the Old Willunga Hill on a course that has become famous for its stunning scenery and friendly scenes.
Following the thrilling finale last year, when Spaniard Alejandro Valverde pipped Australia’s Simon Gerrans on the line at the top of the climb by half a wheel, the Australia Day stage will again finish on the summit.
Another highlight of the Tour Down Under will be stage two, on Wednesday, January 23, which is a 116.5-kilometre ride from Mount Barker to Rostrevor. This stage includes a climb up the Corkscrew Road, famous among Adelaide’s cycling community, before a seven-kilometre downhill run to the finish.
“That’s going to be a very interesting day,” says race director Mike Turtur.
Last year, the Tour Down Under attracted more than 750,000 spectators, including tens of thousands of interstate visitors, and injected more than $40 million into the local economy, according to government figures.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether the scandal that has stung global cycling this month – doping by Armstrong and others, including national coach Matt White, who has stood down from Cycling Australia and the Orica-GreenEDGE cycling team – will result in spectators turning away from the sport when next year’s season gets under way in Adelaide. For now, officials are confident the race will maintain its popularity.
“We’re confident the 2013 Santos Tour Down Under will continue to enjoy strong support from locals and visitors alike,” says Rik Morris, general manager of the South Australian Tourism Commission. “The general public understands that a few doing the wrong thing doesn’t undermine the hard work and effort of the vast majority of people doing the right thing.”
Turtur says it is important for young riders emerging as the next generation of elite cyclists that cycling officials create an environment where cheating is not tolerated.
“Come January and the start of a new season, we have to move forward and look after individuals who are doing the right thing,” he says. “For the youngsters in the sport, we have to create an environment where it’s a level playing field for everyone.”
Given it takes place early in the professional cycling season, the Tour Down Under is an opportunity for younger team members to impress the coaches who will be selecting the grand tour teams later in the year. The course is relatively flat, so most teams will bring a key sprinter and riders who can support fast finishes.
Turtur and other race organisers are talking to the teams about their rosters for the Tour Down Under; final line-ups will be settled by mid-November.
“I’m confident we’re going to have a bumper field, with some nice surprises,” Turtur says.
The cycling festival will open on the evening of Saturday, January 19, when teams will be presented to the public in the Tour village. Racing begins on the evening of Sunday, January 20, when the People’s Choice Classic will be held on a street circuit in Adelaide’s East End. The Tour Down Under itself starts on Tuesday, January 22, with a 135-kilometre stage from Prospect to Lobethal, including a climb up Checker Hill.
Stage three, on Thursday, January 24, will be through the Adelaide Hills, from Unley to Stirling. The next day the riders hit the Barossa Valley, as they ride from Modbury in Adelaide’s north-east to Tanunda.
The final 90 kilometres, on the Sunday, is on the Adelaide City Council street circuit around city parkland and King William Road.
Turtur says the organisers will continue to provide “a well-managed race for the riders to start the year”.
He says he does not think the race will be affected by the drug scandal to the level that some people might expect.
The Australian Financial Review
