Spectators are in for a European-style treat when Tour Down Under hits Adelaide Hills

THE Adelaide Hills will come alive this week as quiet towns become a European-style backdrop for cyclists in the Tour Down Under.

THE Adelaide Hills will come alive this week as quiet towns including Echunga, Meadows, Birdwood, Lobethal and Mt Torrens become a European-style backdrop for cyclists in the Santos Tour Down Under.

From today, the Tour will race through the Hills for the next three stages, taking in the growing city of Mt Barker where tomorrow's race begins, and leading to Thursday's circuit that laps through Stirling, Longwood, Mylor and Aldgate six times.

The Aldgate-Stirling leg has been a hit with riders and spectators and since it was introduced five years ago, the number of laps has been extended from four to six.

"This year, we've made it just a bit tougher," said Tour Down Under organiser Mike Turtur.

He said the ride had been lengthened to 139km to open it up for all-rounder competitors to climb and sprint the picturesque route through Stirling to Longwood, Mylor, Aldgate and back.

Once in Stirling from the freeway, via a King of the Mountain leg at Eagle on the Hill, the peloton heads into the back roads on a route marked by short climbs and fast descents.

It's a ride familiar to recreational cyclists like former competitor Pat Marcucci - but he no longer does them at race speeds of up to to 60 to 70km/h.

"It's easy enough when you're cruising along," Mr Marcucci said.

"About two-thirds is uphill and a third downhill. It's a bit of heat early in the season so for a lot of riders, it's going to hurt."

Mr Marcucci, who raced competitively in Europe for five years in the early 1980s, said the Hills legs were comparable to some of the classic races in Europe which were typically five to six-day races with lots of short climbs.

"This race is just gaining in stature," he said.

"Competitive cyclists come from all over to watch this race even if they're not competing any more. It's a social thing."

Hills retailers love the race as well, particularly the restaurants and hotels that happen to find themselves on the Tour Down Under route.

The Aldgate Pump Hotel is in prime position and diners on the hotel's veranda are so close they will almost feel the cyclists race by.

"It's a very big day for us," said Emily from the Aldgate Pump.

"We have a new terrace opening for the Tour with a brand new renovation timed for this."

The Stirling Hotel, which is all but on the race's finish line, is another sought-after position and a party from Tourism SA is expected to be among the lunch groups out the front.

"They're coming past six times this year which people are really happy about," said Stacey Ireland, a Stirling Hotel manager.

Mr Marcucci said the sport had changed dramatically since the 1980s, with interest growing every year.