 2024 Tour Down Under | |
 | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | January |
| Region | South Australia |
| English name | Tour Down Under |
| Nickname(s) | TDU |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Events South Australia |
| Race director | Stuart O'Grady |
| Web site | www |
| History | |
| First edition | 19 January 1999 |
| Editions | 24 (as of 2024) |
| First winner |  Stuart O'Grady (AUS) |
| Most wins | Simon Gerrans (AUS) (4 wins) |
| Most recent |  Stephen Williams (GBR) |
The Tour Down Under (currently branded as the Santos Tour Down Under for sponsorship reasons) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia. It is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and UCI Women’s WorldTour.
The event was established in 1999 with the support of then Premier of South Australia John Olsen as part of an effort to strengthen the state’s sporting calendar after the Australian Grand Prix moved from Adelaide to Melbourne, Victoria.[1] Since that time it has been owned and managed by the South Australian Government through Events South Australia, the events division of the South Australian Tourism Commission.[2] It experienced rapid growth in its first two decades, becoming the first race granted UCI ProTour status (now UCI WorldTour) in 2008 and the first event of the UCI World Ranking calendar in 2009.
The Tour Down Under takes place each January and features stages suited to sprinters, climbers and all-rounders. Its 2021 and 2022 editions were cancelled after organisers were unable to accommodate both the needs of international teams and local quarantine and border management requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] The 2024 Tour Down Under took place from 12-21 January.[5]
Like other UCI WorldTour races, the men’s race attracts all the top UCI teams, as well as a national representative team made up of riders without full-time professional contracts. In 2023 the Tour Down Under women's race joined the UCI Women's World Tour – the highest level of international road cycling competition.
Men’s and women’s teams traditionally consist of six riders. The rider with the lowest cumulative time after each stage is honoured with the ochre jersey. Similarly, leaders in the sprint, mountains and youth classifications wear jerseys to signify their positions in those standings.[6]
- ^ Keane, Daniel (12 March 2015). "Victoria may gloat about poaching the Grand Prix, but SA gained a lot by losing it". abc.net.au. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ "Supporting South Australia's tourism industry". tourism.sa.gov.au. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ South Australian Tourism Commission (1 November 2020). "2021 SANTOS TOUR DOWN UNDER EVENT UPDATE". tourdownunder.com.au. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "2022 Event Update | Santos Tour Down Under". tourdownunder.com.au. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Santos Tour Down Under". tourdownunder.com.au. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Jerseys and Classifications | Santos Tour Down Under". tourdownunder.com.au. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.