Paracombe set to shine in 2015 Santos Tour Down Under

Published on : Monday, July 14, 2014

griepel-uci-announcement1The Adelaide Hills town of Paracombe will host an exciting stage finish as part of the 2015 Santos Tour Down Under.

It’s the smallest rural town to host a stage finish in the 17-year history of the event, and joins Mount Barker and Stirling as stage finish lines in the Adelaide Hills for next year’s event.

The stages for the 2015 Santos Tour Down Under are:
• People’s Choice Classic (Adelaide) – 51 km – Sunday January 18
• Stage 1 – Tanunda to Campbelltown – 132.6 km – Tuesday January 20
• Stage 2 – Unley to Stirling – 150.5 km – Wednesday January 21
• Stage 3 – Norwood to Paracombe – 143.2 km – Thursday January 22
• Bupa Stage 4 – Glenelg to Mount Barker – 144.5 km – Friday January 23
• Stage 5 – McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill – 151.5 km – Saturday January 24
• Be Safe Be Seen MAC Stage 6 – Adelaide (final route to be determined) – Sunday
January 25

 

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said the stages and race routes were designed to give sprinters, climbers and all-rounders an equal chance at victory, while also showcasing some of South Australia’s great destinations.

 

“Next year’s race will see some old favourites return and some new locations added to keep the race fresh and interesting,” he said.
 

“The People’s Choice Classic returns to its home in the city’s East End, and we know the epic climb up Willunga Hill will create explosive competition across the peloton.
 

“The Barossa will welcome the first stage of the race when cyclists travel from Tanunda to Campbelltown, and a large crowd is again expected to welcome the riders home in Stirling the next day.”

 
Minister Bignell said next year’s Santos Tour Down Under will again be the biggest cycling race outside of Europe, and the only UCI WorldTour event in the Southern Hemisphere.
 

“The International Cycling Union has awarded the Tour Down Under a WorldTour licence for 2015 and 2016, which is line with the governing body’s major review of professional cycling,” he said.
 

“The UCI will introduce its new calendar from 2017, and the State Government will be working closely with the UCI to ensure the Santos Tour Down Under remains the first event of the international cycling calendar.”

 
Minister Bignell also confirmed the Tourrific Prospect street party – part of the Santos Festival of Cycling – will return next year.
 

“This event will be held on the evening of Monday January 19 – the official race rest day – which means there’ll be something for cycling fans to do every day of the Tour Down Under,” he said.
 

Race Director Mike Turtur is pleased with the balance achieved in the race stages.

“Stage 1 from Tanunda to Campbelltown will see us get off to a spectacular start with no race neutral and racing starting straight out of the township. The new finish location in Campbelltown presents a very tough, uphill sprint which will demand perfect timing by the sprinters,” Mr Turtur said.
 

“There will be two loops through the Barossa before riders tackle Checker Hill in the opposite direction to usual and power towards the finish line.
 

“The new finish at Paracombe and the climb up Torrens Hill Road will make for a very interesting stage. We are returning to Glenelg after many years for a stage start which will be a highlight and on the same day a new finish location in Mount Barker.”
 

Santos Managing Director David Knox said that the company looked forward to celebrating its sixth year with the event.

 
“The profile of the Santos Tour Down Under continues to grow year on year, attracting professional cyclists and cycling fans from around the world and propelling South Australia
onto the international stage”, Mr Knox said.

 
“Not only does the Tour help to showcase all that South Australia has to offer, it also brings together over 750,000 people for a world-class event in our very own backyard.

 
“As a South Australian company celebrating 60 years of incorporation, we are very proud to help make this happen.”
 

Entries are now open for the Bupa Challenge Tour but for those who would rather run than ride, expressions of interest are also now open for the People’s Choice Undies Run on Sunday January 18.

 

Source:- Tourism SA

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