UCI advises State Government that the TDU will remain a WorldTour event for as long as the state wants

SOUTH Australian cycling fans have been delivered some of the best news ever — world cycling’s governing body says the Tour Down Under will remain a WorldTour event for as long as the state wants.

Tour Down Under - Stage 5

THE State Government has been told by world cycling’s governing body the UCI that the Tour Down Under will remain a WorldTour event for as long as it wants.

In an unprecedented show of faith in the event, the two-year licence renewal process that was due to expire in 2016 has been scrapped in favour of an open-ended invitation to remain in the sport’s top tier — and to almost certainly open the season every January.

Great news ... fans cheering on the TDU peloton at Willunga Hill to end Stage 5. Picture: Tom Huntley

It comes as the UCI is currently at war with the ASO — owners of the Tour de France — which has threatened to pull its events from the WorldTour calender in 2017 in protest at proposed structural reforms to the sport.

“Basically we’ve got it for as long as we want to have it,” Sports Minister Leon Bignell yesterday told the Sunday Mail.

“The system has changed now — you’d have to really mess something up to be dropped off and in a way that’s good because it gives you more certainty.

“As long as we keep the crowds coming and putting on the professional race that we are ... it’s probably one of the best-organised events in the world and best attended. We always call it the biggest bike race outside of Europe but there are a lot of bike races in Europe that are nowhere near the quality of this.”

According to the organisers, last year’s TDU injected almost $50 million to the state’s visitor economy and drew a record crowd of 786,000 people — including 37,000 who came from interstate and overseas.

Fans cheering on Richie Porte as he storms towards victory in Stage 5 at Willunga Hill. Photo Sarah Reed

Figures for this year’s race, which finishes in the city today, are not yet available but Mr Bignell said early indications were that the crowds had remained steady.

The State Government pledged $6 million over four years in its 2015-16 budget to continuing the growth of the TDU, which will be won today by Aussie Simon Gerrans for a record fourth time.

“It’s up to making sure we keep growing the sport and that includes bringing events like the Santos Women’s Tour — and we need to keep the crowd numbers going and they’ve been terrific again this year,” Mr Bignell said.

“We’re not going to rest on our laurels; we’ve been doing this for 18 years and Mike Turtur, the race director, does a brilliant job at finding new challenges for riders and goes out and gets the best teams he possibly can.”

UCI president Brian Cookson yesterday confirmed renewing the TDU’s licence was a formality. It comes as energy giant Santos revealed to the Sunday Mail that it would extend its naming rights deal with the race for next year. “We are very proud to sponsor the Santos Tour Down Under,” a spokesperson said. “This is a wonderful community event and we look forward to continuing our partnership in 2017.”

TDU Stage 5 in pictures

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Cookson said the UCI’s attempt to resolve a rift with the Amaury Sports Organisation wouldn’t impact on the TDU opening the season next January, adding: “I don’t envisage any threat to the Tour Down Under’s position in the WorldTour at all.

“One of the reasons we spent two more years talking about all of the reform proposals ... one of them was that the Tour Down Under would be very difficult to move its dates because it fits with school holidays. So we’ve got to be flexible in recognising the success of the event.

“It’s a great way to start the WorldTour every year and if that means we start it at the end of January rather than the beginning of February, then I think we can do that — I think we have to do that.”

Cookson had hoped to meet with ASO boss Christian Prudhomme in Adelaide this week but the Frenchman was unable to attend the race.

Cookson said it was “not impossible” to run the WorldTour without ASO events but that wasn’t the desired outcome. He added: “I think it’s regrettable that the ASO are not being co-operative with plans at the moment but I’m hopeful we can find a solution that works for them as (well as) everybody else.”

Originally published as UCI advises State Government that the TDU will remain a WorldTour event for as long as the state wants