A former winner of the Tour Down Under says organisers should consider cancelling next year’s event, amid fresh doubt over whether the cycling race will go ahead because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Key points:
- The 2021 Tour Down Under is scheduled to start in January
- Organisers say they are looking at all options for the race to go ahead
- A former winner says overseas riders shouldn’t be exempt from quarantine
Race organisers announced in August that the 2021 event would go ahead in January, but have now put contingency plans in place.
The men’s Tour Down Under (TDU) was scheduled to start on January 19 while the women’s tour was scheduled for January 14.
The main issue is whether international riders will have to quarantine for two weeks on arrival, which may not be feasible as they would be unable to train for two weeks leading up to the race.
Crowd control is also a potential issue, with thousands of local and interstate spectators packing the roads each year to watch the event.
Adelaide cyclist Patrick Jonker, who won the men’s TDU in 2004, said it would be a major blow for the state if the event was cancelled but it should be considered.
“With what’s going on this year with COVID I think the same rules should apply for everyone.
“If you can’t see your loved ones be buried then I don’t think elite professional athletes should be exempt.”
Training ‘bubble’ suggested
Events South Australia executive director Hitaf Rasheed said organisers are considering all options before deciding whether the event can go ahead.
“There are a lot of moving parts in making a decision like this,” Ms Rasheed said.
“There are many stakeholders, and we have been working closely with them to ensure we arrive at the best possible outcome for all concerned.
“It is important, and its importance is why we have worked so hard to consider if and how this event can be successfully delivered.”
All three of cycling’s grand tours — Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana — have gone ahead this year, albeit with revised schedules and routes.
Those events are all held in Europe, and Jonker said a two-week quarantine requirement for elite cyclists would not work in Australia.
But he said setting up a training “bubble” for cyclists away from the Adelaide metro area was an alternative worthy of consideration.
“It would be very difficult for an elite professional rider to maintain their fitness being indoors for two weeks,” he said.
“The Government has a big decision to make next week but the main priority will be our health.”
Police to determine exemptions
Health Minister Stephen Wade today said SA Health would continue to work with event organisers to try to find a way for the event to go ahead safely.
However, he said it was ultimately up to the state coordinator, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, to decide on any exemptions for international cyclists.
“It is really important for the ongoing success of the TDU that South Australia appropriately deals with the COVID situation,” he said.
“It would be an absolute disaster for TDU if we didn’t have safe plans in place and there was an outbreak associated with it.”
Ms Rasheed said organisers would consider alternate options if the men’s and women’s races did not go ahead, but a final decision would be made in the next week.
