Race director maps 21-stage Australian race plan to match Tour de France
AUSTRALIA with a Grand Tour to match the Tour de France? It looks good on paper. Former professional cyclist and race director Scott Sunderland would know. He’s done it.
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AUSTRALIA with a Grand Tour to match the Tour de France? It looks good on paper.
Former professional cyclist and race director Scott Sunderland would know. He’s done it.
“I’ve actually already mapped one out just for fun; a 21-stage race in Australia,” Sunderland said.
“I’ve looked at the prospects. It’s a bit of a project, but it is possible, definitely. I’m just not sure how it fits in the calendar because there are strong stipulations now that say there can only be three Grand Tours (France, Italy and Spain).”
But given the flood of new races packing the calendar, who is to say by 2050 that the UCI — cycling’s governing body — won’t change the rules for a sport Victoria has big plans for.
“The bold side of me says, if we got our act together, that we have a stage race that doesn’t rival the Tour de France, but compliments it. I think that’s the best outcome,” Visit Victoria general manager Damien de Bohun said.
“We can create something special. The landscapes we’ve got are extraordinary. Get a 21-day stage race that goes through the most beautiful parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales and you have something quite remarkable.”
The Victorian Government’s newly-formed Summer of Cycling will be just the beginning for a state who believes its natural assets can make a major player in cycling tourism.
“There’s this much broader summer of cycling we’ve started and we find a way for every part of cycling to be involved,” de Bohun said.
Originally published as Race director maps 21-stage Australian race plan to match Tour de France