Tour Down Under (AUS) - 22-27.01.2008

The UCI ProTour expands globally in 2008, with the Tour Down Under stage race in Australia in January.

Europe may be the traditional home of professional cycling but Australia is now one of the strongest cycling nations in the world, and thousands of Australian cycling fans will proudly host the first UCI ProTour race of the 2008 season. As part of the UCI ProTour, the Tour Down Under will have its strongest ever field, with the top 18 teams in the peloton sending some of their best riders.

Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so the warm weather makes it a great way to start the season. The Tour Down Under is centred around Adelaide and this makes logistics and accommodation easy to organise for everybody on the race.

In 2007, Switzerland’s Martin Elmiger of the Ag2r team won the Tour Down Under overall winner’s orange jersey after an intense and closely-fought race. Of course the Australian riders were also on form, with Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen winning stages.

A criterium on January 20 serves as a warm-up event before the start of the UCI ProTour Tour Down Under on January 22. Six intense days of racing along the breathtaking South Australian coast and through the rolling vineyards will decide the winner, before a final circuit race in downtown Adelaide on January 27.

Stages

20.01 Down Under Classic : Glenelg 50 km

22.01 stage 1 : Mawson Lakes - Angaston 129 km

23.01 stage 2 : Stirling - Hahndorf 148 km

24.01 stage 3 : Unley – Victor Harbor 139 km

25.01 stage 4 : Mannum - Strathalbyn 134 km

26.01 stage 5 : Willunga - Willunga 147 km

27.01 stage 6 : Adelaide East End Circuit 88 km