Former TDU champion Stuart O’Grady remembers the hard sell needed to get European riders to Adelaide

Inaugural Tour Down Under winner Stuart O’Grady knows how hard it was to convince the top European riders it was well worth their time to come and race in Adelaide.

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INAUGURAL Tour Down Under winner Stuart O’Grady remembers how hard it was to ‘sell’ the Tour Down Under to the sceptical European riders and teams for the maiden event in 1999.

The two-time overall race champion claimed he was doing lots of public relations for SA in a sport which traditionally turned its noses up to any road races outside of popular cycling countries Italy, France, and Spain.

“I definitely didn’t see the race propelling to where it is today,’’ O’Grady recalls after winning two stages of the inaugural Tour Down Under 20 years ago when the race had a UCI category 2.4.

“Even when it went to WorldTour status (2008) I wasn’t sure it was going to be that big a deal but it really has because every top tier team has to come here and race.

“When it first ran in 1999 most of the guys came down for a training camp, there were points available but no real pressure.

“It’s different now because now riders have the focus to win the Tour Down Under with maximum points.”

Now 20 years on, the retired South Australian Olympic Games gold medallist and Paris-Roubaix champion said when teams have races (spring classics) like Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico there’s a lot more importance to the race.

“Now it’s full on serious, I had to sell it (Tour Down Under) massively,” O’Grady said.

“I had to get the footage to show them, photos of the beaches, Aldinga Beach, the vineyards and I knew if I could get a commitment from my French team (Credit Agricole) my boss, to see Adelaide, he would love it.

Stuart O'Grady winning the third stage of 1999 Tour Down Under.

“But to make that happen it took a hell of a lot of convincing.

“I spent a lot of time after the Tour Down Under selling it to the European guys.”

O’Grady said the success stories coming back to European teams and riders about how great the event was eventually started seeing the peloton start cuing up for a ticket to Adelaide in January which was traditionally preseason in Europe’s winter.

O’Grady believes Tasmanian Richie Porte is the favourite to claim a second crown.

“Richie has so much focus on this race and will be very hard to beat,’’ O’Grady said.

“But Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) he was a surprise winner last year and he will be confident and he’s quicker than Richie in the sprints.

“Rohan Dennis (Bahrain Merida and SA’s Tour Down Under 2015 champion), he’s my wildcard I think he’ll lay it on the line.”

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