Tour Down Under, Adelaide

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If you like Bike racing, or the Tour de France, then you must come to Adelaide to see the "Tour Down Under."
It is held every year in January over 1week, and is the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere.

The TOUR DOWN UNDER is the first stop on the world cycling calendar.

The race typically starts and concludes with exciting Adelaide city street circuits, with Stage 1-5 being held in regional South Australia.
The Top World Tour professional cycling teams come to race and try to win important UCI World Tour points and the Santos Ochre Leaders Jersey.
It was here, Lance Armstrong decided to make his comeback to professional road cycling at the 2009 race. Tour de France winners Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pereiro, Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre and Cadel Evans [Australian] have all raced in Adelaide, alongside Aussie legends Stuart O’Grady, Robbie McEwen, and Allan Davis.

Amateur cyclists can also get involved in the action, with the SKODA Breakaway Series, which gives people the chance to ride part of the World Tour race route.

As well as following the Race each day, there are recreational rides, local club racing, street parties, the Legends' Night Dinner and more.
Each year, the crowds lining the roads are getting bigger and bigger, looking a bit more like France all the time.
The next Tour Down Under is from 20th - 27th January 2013

Every year in January since 1999, South Australia hosts the "Tour Down Under", held in the tradition of european bike races such as the Tour de France. Six stages are held at various locations throughout Adelaide and the surrounding countryside, because of the time of year there is usually a stage or two conducted in 40 degree heat.
Don't expect to see Lance Armstrong but the big Aussie names and European riders do battle in Australia's biggest cycling event.