Scrapping the TDU the right call but city won’t be the same in January
Adelaide just won’t be the same in January after the decision to cancel the TDU, but it was the right call, writes Reece Homfray.
Tour Down Under
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tour Down Under. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Commonsense has prevailed and the Santos Tour Down Under has been cancelled for 2021.
Covid-19 might not have stopped the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a Espana but it has brought the TDU to its knees for the first time in its 22-year history.
From a practical perspective, how could you possibly expect some of the best athletes in the world to spend 24 hours in transit and on a plane, then two weeks confined to a hotel room, then perform at their best on a bike for over 600km in 40C heat of summer?
And from a public health perspective, how could you explain to the South Australian who has been unable to travel interstate for even a funeral that the government was willing to bend the rules to allow them the freedom to leave their hotel quarantine so they could train and properly prepare?
It would have been risky at worst and a PR disaster at best.
As the pandemic continues to escalate in Europe and countries head back into lockdown, the announcement on Sunday night that the TDU had been scrapped for next year was met with mixed emotions.
Yes, it will be missed as a mainstay on the SA major events calendar not just by cyclists and cycling fans but the businesses that benefited from it, the towns that welcomed it and the city that embraced it.
But at the same time how thankful we are to live in a state and a country where we are still enjoying the relative freedoms that are being taken away from those in Europe where thousands are fighting for their lives?
The State Government was adamant in August that the TDU would still go ahead in January, but as the weeks ticked by and the situation worsened in Europe, it became obvious that it was simply not feasible.
The UCI had told teams that regardless of the race’s WorldTour status, it would not be compulsory for them to travel to Australia in January and if they did then the feedback from teams was that they would not be able to quarantine before the race.
And so the only option was to let it go for a year. And hope that it’s only a year.
How we will miss that opening night criterium where all eyes would be on who might dethrone Caleb Ewan, or Richie Porte up Old Willunga Hill on the final day?
The race might not be going ahead but let’s hope it does not quell the enthusiasm of cycling fans to get out on their bikes or interstate tourists to visit our magnificent city if borders allow.
Organisers still plan on holding a ‘domestic cycling festival’ which will be a nice distraction from the fact that the race isn’t happening.
But South Australia, Adelaide and in particular Victoria Square that would always buzz with activity and excitement for three weeks simply won’t be the same.
But sadly, what aspect of life still is?