The UCI request that's helping the Tour Down Under make history

Cor Vos

The Santos Tour Down Under is set to break new ground for women’s cycling in 2027 with what race organisers are calling “the most significant development to the race program in the event’s 26-year history”.

Next year’s TDU will see the three-day women’s race run on the same days as the final three stages of the men’s race, over the exact same courses and distances – a first for any WorldTour event anywhere in the world.

The new setup will bring various benefits – greater parity between men’s and women’s racing; likely increases in spectator numbers for the women’s race – but it will also present a series of new challenges. Interestingly, it’s a change that’s been prompted by a UCI request following frustrations from women’s professional teams.

For as long as the Tour Down Under and Cadel’s Race have started the international racing season, some European teams have bemoaned the logistical challenges of attending the two Australian races. More specifically, teams have been critical of the amount of time spent waiting around between the two events.

For women’s teams, the gap between the end of the Tour Down Under and Cadel’s Race is normally around two weeks, and while a couple of smaller, one-day races now exist in that gap – a TDU one-day in Adelaide and the Surf Coast Classic near Geelong – the amount of waiting around continues to be a source of frustration.

Ahead of the 2027 Australian summer, that issue has come to a head. While Cadel’s Race and the Surf Coast Classic look unlikely to be affected, the women’s TDU is set to be moved from before the men’s race to run concurrently with the end of the men’s race, thereby shortening the gap between TDU and Cadel’s Race considerably.

While the format change isn’t the ideal scenario for TDU, there are positives for the event.

“It gave us an opportunity to try something new,” assistant race director Carlee Taylor told Escape. “The Santos Tour Down Under isn't afraid to question the norm. They were [one of] the first race[s] to provide equal prize money, and we are always wanting to improve year on year and showcase the women's side of the event.

“We're really excited that we're the first race to be able to deliver a WorldTour event that is literally the same distance as the men.”

While various configurations were considered for the 2027 event, running the three stages of the women’s race alongside the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday stages of the men’s race was where race organisers ended up.

“For us the most important thing was to make sure we're maximising the women's exposure, and the final weekend is proven to always have a lot more fans,” Taylor said. “For us, we really were trying to then make it so the women get to finish on a weekend too, and this was our preferred option.”

The women’s stages are expected to start roughly 90 minutes after the men’s, meaning the two races will be run concurrently. That poses a significant challenge when it comes to the TV broadcast. To have live coverage for both events will mean a substantial increase in the amount of broadcast infrastructure required.

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