Tour Down Under

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... more

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. 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% . 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... less