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Santos Tour Down Under 2014

Santos Tour Down Under 2014

Santos Tour Down Under 2014This weekend sees the start of the 2014 UCI World Tour with the traditional season-opener the Santos Tour Down Under, which begins on Sunday, January 19 with the 50km People’s Choice Classic. The six main stages then continue starting with the 135km leg from Nuriootpa to Angaston and ending on Sunday, January 16 with the new Adelaide city circuit of 18 laps over 85.5km.

 

Team Sky are, of course, fielding a strong team with home-fan favourite Richie Porte backed by Philip Deignan, Bernard Eisel, Christopher Sutton and GB’s Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas. Despite being far from the somewhat cooler Welsh climate, Thomas – making his fourth appearance at the Tour Down Under – appears more than ready for the work ahead, saying, ‘I love being in Oz. It’s a great place to come. The lifestyle here is good. It’s the sort of place you get up in the morning and go for a run before you go to work. It’s an active, healthy place to be… Obviously the weather is great, if not a touch hot at the moment. The roads for riding and training around Adelaide are really good, especially for this time of year. And then the Tour Down Under itself is a good hard race to kick-start the season.’

 

Further details on the Santos Tour Down Under at tourdownunder.com.au

 

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New City Circuit for Santos Tour Down Under

Santos Tour Down Under

Santos Tour Down UnderThe Santos Tour Down Under – the traditional season opener for the UCI WorldTour – will feature an all-new ‘People’s Choice Classic’ city circuit next year. The 50km course – effectively a preview for the following day’s Stage 1 – will see riders test their legs on a route that takes them over the River Torrens and through Adelaide’s parklands and the heart of the city, providing spectators with the opportunity to get closer to the action than previously possible.

 

Announcing the route for the January 19 race, Tourism Minister, Leon Bignell, said: ‘The People’s Choice Classic is always an exhilarating preview to the six-stage Santos Tour Down Under and in 2014 we’ll see riders start the closed-circuit race on Victoria Drive… with plenty of great vantage points for fans to enjoy the action while perhaps enjoying a picnic by the river.’

 

The 2014 Santos Tour Down Under will be held in Adelaide and regional South Australia from January 19–26 for further details see tourdownunder.com.au 

 

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Santos Tour Down Under 2014 Route

Santos Tour Down Under 2014 Route

Santos Tour Down Under 2014 RouteDetails of the route for the Santos Tour Down Under 2014 – set to run January 19 – 25, in and around Adelaide, South Australia – have been announced. With circuits around the Barossa and Adelaide Hills, tough climbs up Willunga Hill and Corkscrew Hill, cosmopolitan starts in Prospect and Unley and the return of old favourites in Norwood and Victor Harbor, the 2014 race is certainly shape up to be something special. The 2014 event also sees Stage 1 return to Nuriootpa for the first time since the race’s inception in 1999, including the gruelling Menglers Hill climb just 14km from the finish at Angaston.

 

Tourism Minister, Leon Bignell, says the 2014 course will test sprinters, climbers and all rounders, commenting, ‘Today we are announcing some fantastic new race routes which will really test the riders and maintain this great South Australian event as the best cycling race outside of Europe.’

 

The Santos Tour Down Under 2014 schedule is:

 

January 19 People’s Choice Classic City Circuit TBC (50 km)

January 20 Rest Day

January 21 Stage 1 Nuriootpa – Angaston (135 km)

January 22 BikeExchange.com.au Stage 2 – Prospect – Stirling (150 km)

January 23 Stage 3 – Norwood – Campbelltown (145 km)

January 24 Bupa Stage 4 – Unley – Victor Harbor (148.5 km)

January 25 Stage 5 – McLaren Vale – Willunga Hill (151.5km)

January 26 Stage 6 – Route TBC (85.5 km)

 

For further details see tourdownunder.com.au and for an appreciation of the sense of fun that famously surrounds the Tour Down Under take a look at their TV commercial below…

 

 

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Slagter Wins Tour Down Under

Tom-Jelte Slagter (Blanco Pro Cycling) win Santos Tour Down UnderYoung Dutch rider Tom-Jelte Slagter (Blanco Pro Cycling) has taken the overall win at the 2013 Santos Tour Down Under, with Lotto-Belisol’s André Greipel claiming victory on the final stage. Having already won Stage 3 – his first ever UCIWorld Tour stage win – 23-year-old Slagter did enough through the final 90km stage through the streets of Adelaide to nail the general classification in 18hours, 28minutes and 32seconds; Movistar’s Javier Moreno took the second podium place (+17 seconds) and Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas took third on +25seconds.

 

Having dropped potentially from contention on the penultimate stage, Thomas fought hard across Sunday’s closing leg, aided by his teammates, to ensure a podium place. Speaking after the event the Welshman was quick to praise the squad: ‘We didn’t want to just give up and throw it away,” he said. “We knew there was one more day. Traditionally no one really bothers on a final stage like this but we were up for it. The boys rode unbelievable and did [the hard work] for me. The lead-out for the sprint was amazing. I’m not the best sprinter in the world and especially when I’m tired I don’t have that much of a kick. I just followed Edvald and nabbed the points on the line.’

 

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New Look for Omega Pharma

Omega Pharma Quick-Step new jersey - Mark Cavendish Tour Down UnderOmega Pharma – Quick-Step have unveiled their new-look jersey for the 2013 season, complete with a logo on the chest symbolising their TTT World Championship victory. Team rider and current French Road Racing Champion Sylvain Chavanel describes it as a combination of ‘aggressive’ and ‘classy’, whilst teammate Tony Martin added, ‘In this jersey it’s the details that make the difference. The personalisation with our Twitter account on the back of the jersey is a great idea, as is the personalised label on the back of the collar. When it comes to design and material, our partner Vermarc has really done a great job!’

 

As nice at it is, one person that won’t be wearing it quite as early as had been anticipated is Mark Cavendish who has opted out of season-opener at the Tour Down Under in favour of making his team debut in February at the Tour of Qatar; arguably a solid choice as he managed double-stage victories at this year’s event.

 

Image © TDWsport.com

 

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Team Sky’s Men Down Under

Team Sky announce squad for Santos Tour Down UnderTeam Sky has announced the squad that will lead out the first major event of 2013, the Santos Tour Down Under. The Adelaide-based event will, as always, be comprised of six stages, running January 22-27, with the People’s Choice Classic criterium kicking off events on Sunday January 20. Edvald Boasson Hagen, who finished seventh and took the points classification in the 2012 event, will lead out with former stage winner Chris Sutton heading up the team’s sprint ambitions.

 

The GB riders are Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas with Australians Bernhard Eisel and Mathew Hayman (the latter in the role of Road Captain)? completing the Team Sky prospects.

 

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Tour Down Under Route Revealed

We may only be a day or two into the 2012 TdF, but we’re already looking forward to 2013 events with the release of details for the Santos Tour Down Under, which takes place in and around Adelaide and regional South Australia between January 20 and 27. A new stage route and interesting sounding (!) grass start are just two of the components that will make up next year’s UCI Tour opener along with a number of new towns and suburbs seeing their share of the action.  News that the Stage Two Mount Barker to Rostrevor leg will, at just 116km, be the shortest in the event’s history might seem an underwhelming revelation, but the fact that it will include the new ŠKODA King of the Mountain climb on the gruelling Corkscrew Road goes a long way to redressing that balance.

 

As the largest cycling race in the southern hemisphere (and the first major event on the year’s calendar) the Santos Tour Down Under not only attracts the cream of international cyclists but also serves as an excellent showcase for the regions varied attractions; as Minister for Tourism Gail Gago comments, ‘The Santos Tour Down Under sees an influx of visitors into the state and encourages locals to get out into their own backyard… It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase Adelaide and the fabulous regions of South Australia.’

 

For further route and race details see: www.tourdownunder.com.au

 

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GreenEDGE Stunning Debut

Something of an Australian celebration is (probably still) going on ‘where the women glow and the men plunder’, with the UCI World Tour curtain raiser, the Santos Tour Down Under seeing a fairytale winner in the shape of local lad Simon Gerrans. The win was made all the more party worthy by the fact that his GreenEDGE Australian professional cycling team are a fledgling operation (Australia’s first pro outfit) taking their debut ride. Gerrans though is no stranger to success having previously won the Santos Tour Down Under in 2006 whilst riding for Ag2r Prevoyance; he wore the Ochre Leader’s Jersey in Stage 6 this year and, with the support of his GreenEdge team mates, did more than enough to be crowned the 2012 champion.

 

The final jersey winners for the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under were:

Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey – Simon Gerrans (GreenEDGE)

Jayco Sprint Jersey – Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling)

SKODA King of the Mountain – Rohan Dennis (UniSA – Australia)

Cycle Instead Young Rider – Rohan Dennis (UniSA – Australia)

Hindmarsh Most Aggressive Rider – Jan Bakelants (RadioShack-Nissan)

Brilliant Blend Team – RadioShack-Nissan