South Australian Olympic gold medallist Luke Roberts fielded a tantalising offer to bring him home after 17 years in Germany
Team Sunweb sports director and South Aussie Luke Roberts reveals he thought hard about applying for the vacant Tour Down Under race director role - since filled by Stuart O’Grady - before deciding against it.
Tour Down Under
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tour Down Under. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- New team. New year. New goals for Dennis.
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
South Australian Luke Roberts contemplated a chance to be the Santos Tour Down Under’s heir apparent to race director to Mike Turtur.
Roberts revealed he was approached about the pending job vacancy this time last year at the Tour Down Under before SA’s Stuart O’Grady was announced as Turtur’s replacement last month.
The WorldTour sports director for Team Sunweb revealed Events South Australia executive director Hitaf Rasheed had made contact over the pending job.
“I did speak with Hitaf and I was very honoured,’’ Roberts said on Sunday after arriving in Adelaide from Cologne, Germany to prepare for the Tour Down Under.
“I raced at the first event in 1999, I’ve seen how the race grew and what Mike (Turtur) has done with it and I have a huge amount of respect for him.
“The race itself is really close to my heart in what was my home town.
“I did a lot of thinking about the role.
Stream over 50 sports live and on demand with KAYO SPORTS. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly.
“There were a lot of boxes I could tick with it, working now for five years as a sports director and I have been to Tour de France the last three or four years, managing a team of 30 with riders and staff.
“To manage a WorldTour cycling event would have come naturally to me.”
The 2004 Olympic Gold medallist decided not to apply for the Tour Down Under role having spent the past 17 years in Germany.
Roberts, 42, added O’Grady is the best man to take the event to the next level.
“I toyed with the idea when I knew Mike was going to step down, I could see myself doing it and I spoke to my wife about it,’’ Roberts said.
MORE TOUR DOWN UNDER NEWS
The Cuban missile on target for victory
A chance to pounce on every stage
Can Mitchelton-Scott’s reign continue?
Tribute to the Spartacus of world cycling
“When I was approached I looked at the time frame of it all and where I was, I have a great job, I have a good position with Sunweb, I really enjoy it.
“I have two girls aged seven and 11 at school just outside of Cologne, Germany.
“My wife is German and we’re set up quite nicely and ‘was it the right time to move or not?’
“That question has been going through my mind for the past 17 years since I have been in Germany.
“Stuey (O’Grady) had a huge amount of experience and he’s also been the race director of the 24-hour event at Tailem Bend - that’s experience.
“Stuey’s name, of course, would come to the top of the list as the best candidate to take over from Mike.”
Roberts also revealed Sunweb’s 2020 best general classification hope Chris Hamilton was forced to withdraw from the race with reportedly a ruptured testicle after he claimed sixth overall in 2019 to earn the youth classification prize.
“Chris Hamilton had an accident after Christmas training on a mountain bike, (he was) riding on a bike path with his girlfriend and touched handlebars,’’ Roberts said.
“It was a small, silly crash, he injured himself in the groin area and can’t sit on the saddle for a few weeks.”
Australia’s Michael Storer will replace Hamilton as Roberts predicted the team’s two young sprint guns Italy’s Dainese Alberto and Germany’s Max Kanter to give the stars a run for their money.