The women’s TDU comes of age

The first time I attended the Tour Down Under was in 2009, shortly after I started riding a road bike. It was an incredible experience, but it struck me that it was all about men’s professional cycling, and women stood on the sidelines to watch.

At the time, the only racing you could see the women enjoy was club-based crit racing that ran alongside the main event.

Finally, in 2016, the first Tour Down Under race was born as a UCI 2.2 race. While this was a huge leap forward, 2.2-level races typically feature continental, national, and sometimes regional teams, so it attracted mainly Australian riders.

Fast forward to 2026, and it has a WorldTour ranking, and for the first time this year, all WorldTour teams attended.

What I’ve noticed during those 10 years is the level of professionalism that the race attracts.

At the 2016 race, you could just rock up and stand right beside the riders and have a chat. There were no barriers, no media accreditation, no live media coverage, limited rider support, and very few spectators.

Gradually, this has changed. Now there’s the full entourage for the women’s teams – team buses, soigneurs, media officers, support cars, spare bikes and more. The media accreditation is rigorous and enforced, and the media team at the TDU take the women’s just as seriously as the men’s race. There is live TV coverage, but best of all, thousands of spectators line the roadside, autograph-hunting, cheering, and enjoying the athleticism and race smarts of the amazing women.

Another milestone occurred in 2019 when the prize money was equalised for the men’s and women’s races, and again in 2023 it went up another notch when it received UCI WorldTour ranking.

I’ve also noticed an increase in the number of female road cyclists attending the TDU as spectators. Like me, they come from interstate locations like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and regional centres. They come to enjoy the racing in both the women’s and men’s events and to soak up the awesome cycling community in Adelaide during the TDU. Those who attend the whole event don’t discriminate between women’s and men’s bike racing; they see them as super-impressive athletes racing their bikes. It has come such a long way from those early crit races!

I know I’m full of praise for the women’s TDU because it is awesome, but I believe organisers need to increase it to at least four stages or even five to make it a better event. Whenever I attend the three-stage event, I feel like it’s just hotting up when it finishes! I’m not sure how it would work from a logistics perspective, but true equity will only occur when women’s stage numbers match those of men. Perhaps each could be five stages long. Food for thought for the race directors and SA government officials. In the meantime, I recommend you start planning your trip to Adelaide for the Tour Down Under in 2027, and don’t book your flight to arrive in time to watch the men’s race. Book to watch the women’s and men’s races from start to finish.