THE Santos Festival of Cycling is kicking off its stage one tomorrow, starting from the Seppeltsfield Winery, traveling through the ‘king of the mountain’ section in Angaston, before circling back through Bethany to finally finish at Faith Lutheran College in Tanunda.

With the men’s and women’s Tour Down Under cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers decided to put on a domestic four-day event in Adelaide to replace the World Tour events with the new festival format.

The women’s race is scheduled to start at 9am, leading into the men’s race at 1.15pm, and tournament directors say plenty of talent will make their way through the Barossa.

“I am thrilled to see the quality of talent confirmed for the Festival of Cycling,” women’s race director Kimberley Conte said.

“We have some very strong riders across both the men’s and women’s teams which will certainly deliver some exciting racing for spectators.”

Men’s race director Stuart O’Grady agreed, pointing out the inclusion of Team Garmin-Australia, which is headlined by 2020 Tour Down Under winner Richie Porte.

“Fans will have the opportunity to watch great racing and see future champions in the making,” he said.

The Tour Down Under has routinely been one of the biggest events of the year for local businesses and the tourism industry, with Premier Steven Marshall pointing out the 2019 version of the event brought in nearly $71 million – or the equivalent of creating 837 full-time jobs.

Organisers are hoping the Santos Festival of Cycling replaces most, if not all of those figures, but will be handcuffed by the lack of international visitors.
16 men’s teams are confirmed for the race, while 12 have been locked in for the women’s event.