 The Tour Down Under peloton in Victor Harbor, January 2004. |
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| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | January |
| Region | Adelaide, South Australia |
| English name | Tour Down Under |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI ProTour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Race director | Mike Turtur |
| History | |
| First edition | 1999 |
| Editions | 11 (as of 2009) |
| First winner |  Stuart O'Grady |
| Most wins | Stuart O'Grady (2 wins) |
The Tour Down Under is a cycling race in Adelaide, South Australia and surrounding area. The race starts on the third Tuesday of January each year and attracts riders from across Australia and the world. In 2005, the Tour Down Under was promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale to the international rating of 2.HC, the largest and highest ranking outside Europe. In 2008 the Tour Down Under became the first UCI ProTour event outside Europe, and the following year it became the inaugural event of the UCI World Ranking calendar.
Contents |
History
List of Overall Winners
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Tour directors
- 1999 to present: Mike Turtur.
Course
The Tour generally features stages surrounding Adelaide, which varies from flat to moderately undulating. There are no large mountains in the area, giving specialist climbers few opportunities to show their particular skills. The most notable climb featured is the Willunga Hill, a 3 km climb at an average gradient of 7.6% [1]. However, it is typical for most tour stages to finish as a bunch sprint. The Tour does not include a time trial, as is typical in early season races and to avoid imposing extra shipping costs on the international teams.
The conditions in South Australia in late January are often very hot.
Jerseys
Leaders of competitions within the race wear a distinctive jersey.[2]
Current jerseys
- The Ochre jersey is awarded to the rider with the fastest cumulative time at the end of each stage and to the winner at the end. Ochre is associated with Australia and the Tour Down Under is unique in having it for the leader's jersey.
- The Sprint jersey is awarded to the rider with most points and time bonuses awarded to the first three riders across the line at points along the route and at the finish.
- The King of the Mountain jersey is awarded to the rider with most points awarded to the first five riders over climbs.
- The Young rider’s jersey is awarded to the leading rider under 23 at the end of each stage.
- The Most aggressive rider’s jersey is worn by the rider who instigated most attacks, breakaways or helped team-mates to best advantage during the stage.
- The Winning team jersey goes to the team with the lowest cumulative time by its four best riders on each of the six stages.
Be Active Tour
The Tour Down Under has a companion event, the Be Active Tour. This is one of Australia's fastest growing recreational events, held over the route the professionals race later in the day. The inaugural event in 2003 was known as the Breakaway Tour and attracted more than 600 riders. In 2004 riders increased to 1,400 and the event was known on as the Be Active Tour. The 2005 tour saw more than 1,900 riders leave Salisbury, Williamstown and Angaston in 30 degrees to tackle the hills and roads of stage 2. In 2006, riders rode 154 km from Strathalbyn to Yankalilla in the high 30s. The heat took its toll on riders and a heat policy now exists.
In 2007 the name changed again to Mutual Community Challenge Tour and it was joined by the Mutual Community Fun Tour and Powerade mini-tour for children. The new events are to increase the popularity of the event and attract people who do not ride regularly.[3]
Records
Stuart O'Grady (Australia) is the only rider to have won the Tour Down Under twice (1999 and 2001).
Women's Criterium Series
There is a women's criterium series of three street circuits. This is sponsored by UniSA and is generally held at the same place as the men's race, or at the end of the men's race.[4]
See also
References
- ^ http://cycle2max.com/bike-hill-climb/Old-Willunga-Hill.aspx?id=656
- ^ "Jerseys". 2006 Jabob's Creek Tour Down Under. http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/2006/index.php?id=jerseys. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "Mutual Community Challenge Tour". Tour Down Under. http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/node/9. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ Stages and Results | Tour Down Under Accessed 2007-01-16
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tour Down Under |
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