South Australia’s biggest cycling event is set to make world history, with the Santos Tour Down Under preparing to bring men’s and women’s WorldTour racing together on the same course, on the same day, and across the same distance for the first time.
The major format change will be introduced for the 2027 Santos Tour Down Under, held from January 19 to 24, subject to final UCI calendar approval. It marks the most significant change to the event program in its 26-year history and will see Adelaide and regional South Australia host a new-look final weekend of racing.
Under the new format, the men’s race will run as a six-stage event from Tuesday to Sunday, opening the UCI WorldTour season. The women’s race will open the UCI Women’s WorldTour season with a three-stage race from Friday to Sunday, timed to align with the event’s biggest weekend.
On matching race days, the women’s peloton will roll out around 90 minutes after the men, following the same route, distance, start locations and finish locations.
While major European races including Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and Tour de Suisse have held men’s and women’s events on the same day, they have done so across different courses or distances. The Tour Down Under’s new format will make it the first WorldTour race to fully mirror the stages for both men and women.
The change follows a request from the UCI, after feedback from women’s teams, to reduce the time riders need to spend in Australia for two WorldTour races, the Santos Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
Minister for Tourism Emily Bourke said the announcement was a major moment for the event and for international cycling.
“The Santos Tour Down Under has a proud history of innovation and this announcement is groundbreaking not just for our own event but for international cycling,” she said.
“Moving men’s and women’s racing to the same day and the same course is the next step in the race’s evolution, and we expect it will deliver an enhanced fan experience with spectators able to see two starts and finishes on the same day.
“The race and its associated festival programming already showcases the very best of South Australia to the world, and this new race format will again ensure the state remains the epicentre of international cycling in January.”
Race Director Stuart O’Grady said the final weekend had long been the event’s biggest drawcard.
“Next year we are excited to leverage that by celebrating both men and women’s cycling together on the final weekend and creating a real moment for cycling,” he said.
“We saw it as an opportunity to do something different and bring both men’s and women’s racing together and finish off with a bumper final weekend of racing.”
Assistant Race Director Carlee Taylor said the move reflected the continued rise of women’s cycling.
“To have men’s and women’s stage racing on the same day and over the same course is an exciting new frontier for the event,” she said.
“It’s also a great platform to highlight the strength of our women’s peloton on a level we haven’t seen before, and the fact that we’re even able to do this reflects the growth and progression of women’s cycling.”
The announcement follows another huge year for the Santos Tour Down Under, with the 2026 event drawing 749,953 spectators, generating $86.9 million in expenditure and delivering $51.2 million in value to the South Australian economy.
Details of the 2027 stages, including start and finish locations, will be revealed in coming weeks, along with festival and village programming.
