Whether or not the Tour Down Under can be safely staged next year in its usual format is still being considered because of the impact of Covid-19.

This is according to Events South Australia’s Executive Director Hitaf Rasheed, who issued a statement this week.

“The Santos Tour Down Under is an important event for South Australia, and it’s for that reason that we are ensuring we take as much time as necessary to consider fully whether it’s possible to deliver a safe and successful Santos Tour Down Under for South Australia, our event partners, the UCI and the Teams,” Ms Rasheed’s statement says.

She says the organisers have been working closely with the “many many stakeholders” in their decision making and he expects to be able to announce a decision within the next week.

“The Santos Tour Down Under signifies the start of our South Australian summer and festival season and delivers millions of dollars to our local economy, drives significant media coverage and gives South Australians a sense of pride and happiness,” Ms Rasheed’s statement continues.

“It is important, and its importance is why we have worked so hard to consider if and how this event can be successfully delivered.

“We have also been considering alternate scenarios if we are unable to deliver the Santos Tour Down Under with UCI men’s and women’s races in January, including how to present cycling in some format in South Australia in January.

“We expect to be in a position to announce our decision within the next week.”

The Tour Down Under is a fixture on the South Australian Summer events calendar. 

The Fleurieu Peninsula regularly hosts the race, with one of the most popular and challenging stage finishes being the King of the Mountain up Willunga Hill.

The McLaren Vale and Willunga townships traditionally hold a 'Best Dressed Town' competition to welcome competitors and visitors, and other locations such as Victor Harbor have also previously hosted stage finishes.