A six-day domestic Santos Festival of Cycling (19-24 January) will be held in lieu of the 2021 Santos Tour Down Under (cancelled in November due to COVID-19), and the event will include a variety of cycling disciplines such as Road, Track, Paracycling, BMX, Mountain Bikes and Cyclo-Cross.
The program will kick off with the Adelaide Track Event at the Gepps Cross Superdrome, followed by a four-stage National Road Series (NRS) race with Men’s and Women’s stages held on the same day, showcasing the Barossa, Adelaide Hills and Onkaparinga regions.
The City of Onkaparinga will host the Be Safe Be Seen Stage 3 (men: 88.2km / women: 48.8km) on Saturday 23 January, which will travel through McLaren Vale, Aldinga Beach and Willunga, with the road races starting at McLaren Vale’s iconic d’Arenberg Cube.
Selected events will be ticketed due to COVID-19 restrictions, including limited-capacity entry for the road race start and finishes, with free tickets available from Monday 14 December at the Santos Festival of Cycling website.
If tickets become exhausted, cycling fans will be encouraged to find alternative vantages point along the routes to enjoy the race in a COVID-safe and socially distanced way.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said he is thrilled SA can deliver an event program to start the 2021 cycling season.
“South Australia has a strong track record in delivering world class events, which create jobs and deliver substantial economic benefit to the state,” Premier Marshall said.
“To be able to pivot, innovate, and deliver a high calibre event, in a new COVID-normal environment, for all Australians to enjoy is particularly exciting.”
Executive Director of Events South Australia, Hitaf Rasheed said the Santos Festival of Cycling has been designed to bring visitors from across Australia and South Australia to the City of Adelaide and regional communities during January.
“It is important to now look forward and do what we can to celebrate Adelaide and our beautiful regions, support our local businesses and communities, showcase what is great about our state and keep the heart beating in South Australia this summer.”
Program details for Paracycling, Track, Cyclo-Cross, Mountain Bike, and BMX are set to be rolled out over the coming weeks.