Santos Festival of Cycling offers food, wine, two-wheeled fun and help for fire-affected Hills towns
The Santos Festival of Cycling, an 11-day celebration of the Tour Down Under and the communities that make it special, has launched with a burst of colour.
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The Santos Festival of Cycling, an 11-day celebration of food, wine, coffee and two-wheeled fun, has launched with a burst of colour as children and parents burst through a TDU banner as the last lap bell rang out across Victoria Square.
Ben Zeitz, 8, who helped break the banner, said he would ride in both the Westpac Mini Tour for Kids and Westpac Family Ride as part of the festival.
“It’s nice to know that he’ll be riding on a safe, closed circuit, where the professionals ride,” Ben’s mother Lynley Zeitz said.
“We’re hoping to do a few other events, too, as well as watching the race.”
Eleven-year-old Hayley Gill, who will ride in the Westpac Mini Tour as part of the Festival of Cycling, said she loved watching the Tour Down Under riders “go fast”.
“I want to be a Tour Down Under rider, too,” she said.
Hitaf Rasheed, executive director of Events South Australia, said the Santos Festival of Cycling events provided something for everyone, including masterclasses, street parties, community activities, film nights, latte classes and cooking with star chef Simon Bryant.
Help for the Hills
Ms Rasheed noted that bushfires had made it a tough start to the year in South Australia.
“The message that we’ve had from the Adelaide Hills is that this is just what they need – for the Santos Tour Down Under to be going through the Adelaide Hills, telling everyone that they’re open for business,” Ms Rasheed said.
“Our cyclists will be going through bushfire-affected areas, but there’s already regeneration and it’s a great story to tell – that it’s a safe place to be and that we’ve suffered significant damage to our landscape, but shoots of green are coming up and we’re open for business.”
The Santos Festival of Cycling kicks off with a race-day breakfast at 8am in Hahndorf to mark the start of the Santos Women’s TDU and also includes Bikes in Birdwood on Jan 17, the Advertiser TrackDown Under at Adelaide SuperDrome on Jan 17, a race day breakfast in Nairne on Jan 18 and a Family Day including the Westpac Mini Tour for Kids and Westpac Family Ride on Jan 19 as well as a Westpac Family Ride in Victor Harbor on Jan 25. The Tour Down Under Village opens Jan 18.
For more Santos Festival of Cycling events. see tourdownunder.com.au
Originally published as Santos Festival of Cycling offers food, wine, two-wheeled fun and help for fire-affected Hills towns