Herald Sun Tour to make triumphant comeback in regional centre

One of Australia’s most loved annual races, the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, is set to make a triumphant return in a new home.

Matt Keenan, Evan King, Juliana Addison, Steve Dimopoulos, Alistair Forsyth, Pat Shaw, Agostino Giramondo, Tim Canny, Grace Brown, Tracy Hargreaves, Scott McGrory. Picture: David Caird

Victoria will be the hub of international cycling for two weeks next year with the return of one of Australia’s most prestigious and historic road races.

The Jayco Herald Sun Tour will return in February after a five-year hiatus and will be hosted in and around Ballarat.

It will be held three days after the Cadel Evans Great Ocean race in Geelong, providing an attractive lure to pro-cycling teams from across the globe to make Victoria home.

The tour will be held over five stages and incorporate Ballarat and the surrounding towns in western Victoria.

Olympic gold medallists Scott McGrory and Grace Brown have signed on as race directors.

Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison, State Minister for Tourism, Sport, and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, Alistair Forsyth, NewsCorp Managing Director of Victoria and Tasmania Agostino Giramondo, City of Ballarat Mayor Tracy Hargreaves. Picture: David Caird

Herald Sun editor Sam Weir and Herald Sun and Weekly Times chair Penny Fowler said the event’s return was monumental for the state.

NewsCorp Managing Director of Victoria and Tasmania and chairman of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, Agostino Giramondo, said it reinforced the Herald Sun’s commitment to regional Victoria.

“It’s more than a bike race, it’s a symbol of the deep connection the Herald Sun has with regional Victoria as their most-read news publication, across all platforms,” he said.

“Without the support of Jayco and the Herald Sun and Weekly Times we would have lost this event forever.

“For the first time ever we are putting it in one hub, so it elevates the bike race to an event, a true event.”

The tour, starting in 1952, is Australia’s oldest stage race and has been raced and won by Tour de France winners Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins.

The last men’s winner, Jai Hindley, used the event as a springboard to win the Giro D’Italia in 2022.

The race returns, for at least two years, through the support of sponsors Herald Sun and Jayco and the support of the State Government and the City of Ballarat.

“It is great to bring this world class event back to Ballarat, showcasing the region and boosting hotels, restaurants and cafes across the region in the process,” State Minister for Tourism, Sport, and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said.

“We are going to have a two-week festival of racing at the world scale.

“The eyeballs of the racing community will be on Victoria.”

The tour will see Ballarat back on the world cycling stage for the first time in two years after losing the Australian Road Nationals to Perth at the end of 2024.

The city had hosted the event for 21 years.

“We’re really well positioned in Ballarat to host it,” City of Ballarat Mayor Tracy Hargreaves said.

“To be the first city to host the entire Jayco Herald Sun Tour cements our position as a sports events destination and the home of cycling in Australia.

Dates for next year’s event as well as courses for the race will be announced in coming weeks.

Originally published as Herald Sun Tour to make triumphant comeback in regional centre