SANTOS TOUR DOWN UNDER

Non-Cycling Options: Adelaide Hills -Hahndorf

Join the group in our vehicle on a sightseeing loop of the beautiful Adelaide Hills,

You’ll visit many of the small towns, valleys, orchards, enroute to visit and explore Hahndorf where we will regroup and have our Welcome luncheon for our 8 Day Tour. Alternatively, ask us for some options based on your personal interests – we can generally infuse more of what you like into each day, maybe some wildlife spotting, a bushwalk – hike or explore Adelaide’s popular Museums, Galleries or Rundle Mall shopping district.

Our Ride: Adelaide Hills, Uraidla – Hahndorf 

We’ll head deep into the Adelaide Hills orchard valleys out to Hahndorf where we will enjoy our surrounds and lunch. Apres lunch we traverse the undulating roads of the leafy Adelaide Hills towns and villages e back toward the city.

 8 Day TDU Tour – Welcome Luncheon:

Today we regoup for lunch in the German settlement town of Hahndorf deep in the Adelaide Hills. We’ll have a chance to explore this historic settlement town and enjoy a lunch highlighting the regions fine foods and Germanic roots.

 Accommodation:

Our Team Hotels, Adelaide City Centre

Non-Cycling Options: Adelaide Hills – Barossa Valley Wine Region

Join the group in our vehicle on a sightseeing drive through the northern Adelaide Hills, visit a remote National Park area enroute to the famous Barossa Valley Wine region. You’ll meet up with the cycling group in the Barossa Valley to see the exciting first stage of the 2023 Tour Down Under.

Alternatively, ask us for some options based on your personal interests – we can generally infuse more of what you like into each day, maybe some wildlife spotting, a bushwalk – hike or explore Adelaide’s popular Museums, Galleries or Rundle Mall shopping district.

Our Rides: City – Barossa Valley

Options aplenty again today. This morning we’ll traverse the northern Adelaide Hills foothills and ridge roads to the secluded Parra Wirra National park. We’ll pass through some of the region’s sleepier historic towns, en-route to Tanunda in the heart of the Barossa Valley.

We have plenty of distance options available depending on how much climbing you’d like to do, our vehicle will be there to support you.

MORE ABOUT OUR DAY: Après race, we’ve organised a special visit to one of the Barossa Valley’s premier wineries for a wine tasting, we’ll visit our long time friends at Elderton Wines in Nurioopta.

Here’s what Alistair the owner and Co-Managing Director of Elderton Wines says we’ll experience on a visit to their award winning winery “we promise you a rare, authentic experience which includes a visit to our Command Shiraz vineyard planted in 1894 and culminates in tasting some very special wines including the highly regarded Elderton flagship, Command Shiraz”.

Many of Adelaide’s restaurants allow BYO (Bring Your Own wine), take the opportunity while we are at the Elderton Wines Cellar Door to purchase some of their beautiful wines to bring back to the hotel, or pop some in the fridge for the week ahead.

After our visit we’ll make our way back to the city via the scenic roads of Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley. It’ll be a great day of Tour Down Under, biking, sightseeing and sampling one of Australia’s premier wine regions.

 TDU Race:

Ziptrak® Men’s Stage 1: Tanunda to Tanunda 144km

 Après Bike:

Free program to explore Adelaide, it’s restuarants, bars and eateries. We’ll be heading out for a social /informal dinner (non-inclusion), we’ll make a plan for dinner – feel free to join us or relax and put your feet up in your spacious apartment and enjoy your favorite home cooking.
Alternatively, we’ve got plenty of great suggestions, we are based in the south end precinct where you can step out the door for great Italian, Greek, Asian, Gastro pub or Australian fusion food. Let us know your preferred food types, budget and dining style! We’ll point you in the right direction for great local places.

 Accommodation:

Adelaide City Centre, King William street

Non-cycling options:

Join the group in our vehicles on a sightseeing loop of the beautiful Adelaide Hills, we’ll pause for coffee enroute to Lobethal to watch all of the action of the Santos Tour Down Under, you’ll take the small roads and pass through many of the quaint towns, valleys and orchards of the Adelaide Hills. Watch the final exciting laps of Santos Tour Down Under circuit, you’ll see the race finish, the jersey presentations, then head back via the City of Adelaide Tour Village to our Team Hotel.

or Alternatively, ask us for some options based on your personal interests – we can generally infuse more of what you like into each day, maybe some wildlife spotting, a bushwalk, running route – hike or explore Adelaide’s popular Museums, Galleries or Rundle Mall shopping district.

Our Rides: City – Adelaide Hills – City 

Our longer rides depart from our Hotels. As always we have plenty of distance and climbing options todays, you may like to skip the first big climb up into the Adelaide Hills and start your ride in Lobethal. Prior to today’s race arriving you can ride a complete loop of todays TDU race finishing circuit, this course takes in some beautiful Adelaide Hills terrain.

We’ll catch the stage finish today, it’s sure to be exciting, we expect the overall race contenders to make their move today on this tough finishing circuit.

After the race finish you have the option to ride [or relax in the air-conditioned comfort of our vehicles] and head back to our team hotels, we’ll follow the pro team riders and head back to the city by bike, it’s a real buzz to follow the professional riders back through the Adelaide Hills.

 TDU Race: efex Men’s Stage 2: Norwood – Lobethal 141.6km

 Après Bike:

After freshening at our hotel after a great day, tonight is a European Style Aperitif for the 6 Day and 8 Day Tours. Meet up with other guests, staff and talk about the Santos Tour Down Under ahead.

Apres our Aperitif dinner is a free program, we’ve got plenty of great suggestions, we are based in the south end precinct where you can step out the door for great Italian, Greek, Asian, Gastro Pub or Australian fusion food. Let us know your preferred food types, budget and dining style! We’ll point you in the right direction for great local places.

– 6 DAY TOUR GUESTS –

Welcome to Adelaide and the Santos Tour Down Under.

About Our Day: Arrival Day into Adelaide.

Take an early flight to the Adelaide Airport. The Ride International team will be there to meet you at the airport. Alternatively, we’ll meet you at our Team Hotel at 11am.

We’ll assist in building up your bike, then head out on the bikes for a Welcome Ride – starts: 12pm.

– or choose to stay a night prior at our hotel’s  *if you choose to arrive at our Team Hotel the night prior, your welcome to join the Ride or Non-cycling program to Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills*.

Explore our immediate south end precinct, or we have a tram stop directly in front of our hotel. Take a scenic tram ride in the direction of the Adelaide Oval, Festival Theatre, Museums, Art galleries, Rundle Mall shopping district or in the opposite direction head toward the beachside village of Glenelg, where you can take a swim, work on your tan, shop or relax on the golden sands of the beach.

Ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations for Adelaide.

Our Ride: Adelaide Hills, TDU Village orientation loop.

We leave the city and climb into the Adelaide Hills,  we’ll traverse the Adelaide foothills, then descend back into the City of Adelaide Tour Village and onto our Hotel.

 Après Bike:

Meet Hotel Lobby: European Style Aperitif for the 6 Day and 8 Day Tours. Meet up with other guests, staff and talk about the Santos Tour Down Under ahead.
Apres our Aperitif dinner is a free program, we’ve got plenty of great suggestions, we are based in the south end precinct where you can step out the door for great Italian, Greek, Asian, Gastro Pub or Australian fusion food. Let us know your preferred food types, budget and dining style! We’ll point you in the right direction for great local places.

 Accommodation:

Adelaide City Centre, King William street

Non-cycling options:

8am: Join the group in our vehicles on a sightseeing loop of Adelaide’s beautiful white sandy beaches. We’ll pause at one of our favorite beaches for a photo stop and to dip your toes into the beautiful blue waters. We then visit the Santos Tour Down Under race start in Brighton, it’s only a few Km’s south of the city.

The Brighton beach and high street shopping precinct is always an exciting race start location, it has some nice outdoor/high street shopping, cafes and bars. This stage start in Brighton is a great opportunity to see the pro riders up close for photo’s / selfies and a chat. After the stage start we traverse back to our team hotel in the city.

9 am: Our vehicle departs the Hotel to head to the race start in Brighton, it’s a great location to experience a stage start. The atmosphere and excitement of today’s stage start will be super, it’s a hard stage – After the stage start we return to the city. Options a plenty this afternoon, you can either join the group on a sightseeing drive into the Adelaide foothills oe take the afternoon a great opportunity for some selfguided activities, we suggest departing the hotel on Foot/Tram to explore Adelaide Central Markets, our suggested lunch option and local favourite is Gnocchi Bolognese at Lucia’s Italian café in the Adelaide Central Market. Apres lunch explore the City of Adelaide Tour Village and Expo .

or Alternatively, ask us for some options based on your personal interests – we can generally infuse more of what you like into each day, maybe some wildlife spotting, a bushwalk – hike or explore Adelaide’s popular Museums, Galleries or explore the Rundle Mall / Rundle Street shopping districts.

Our Rides: Morning: Adelaide – Coastal Loop – Race Start – City
Afternoon: City – Adelaide Hills – City

City Beaches ride, then onto the Santos Tour Down Under Stage start to catch all the pre-race action and excitement. We then head through the city and past our hotel. The second part of our ride day being an “optional ride” into the Adelaide Hills – or rest up your legs and prepare for tomorrows big ride “The Advertiser – Challenge Tour”.

After passing by our hotel in the city, the optional ride into the Adelaide Hills climbs up via the stunning Gorge Road to the Torrens Hill Road KOM, it’s sure to be exciting to see the race here today, former overall winners have made their winning move on todays final steep climb.

After the race passes us, we’ll traverse the Adelaide foothills, if anyone is feeling frisky there’s an optional extra available to tackle the tough Corkscrew road climb. We’ll all descend back into the City of Adelaide Tour Village and onto our Hotel to ready ourselves for tomorrows Challenge Tour.

 TDU Race: TBA

We’ll keep you up to date as soon as the race organisers provide us with stage details for 2022

Après Bike: VIP Guest: Phil Anderson

Meet Hotel Lobby: 6.30pm for a European Style Aperitif for the 4 Day, 6 Day and 8 Day Tours. Meet up with other guests, staff, talk about the Tour Down Under ahead. Special VIP Guest: Phil Anderson will talk us through tactics for tomorrow Challenge Tour as well as tell a few tales from his time in the Golden Era of cycling.

 Accommodation:

Adelaide City Centre, King William street

About Our Day: Arrival Day. Welcome to Adelaide and the Santos Tour Down Under

Take an early flight to Adelaide Airport. The Ride International team will be there to meet you at the airport at 10am. Alternatively, we’ll meet you at our hotel at 11am or *choose to stay a night prior at our Team Hotel and ride/travel Day 1 with our group (see 6 Day and 8 Day itinerary’s for details).

We’ll assist in building up your bike, getting you ready for your tour ahead, then head out for a ride.
The “welcome ride” start: 12pm.

Our Ride: Adelaide Hills – TDU Village Orientation Loop. 45km – 500m climbing

From the city we climb into the Adelaide Hills, we’ll traverse the Adelaide foothills to ensure your legs, lungs and bike are all working well in preparation for tomorrows challenge tour granf ondo, we then descend back into the City of Adelaide Tour Village to have a look at the largest Bike Expo in Australia, or organise a test ride of the newest bikes with our friends in the village.

 Après Bike:

Meet Hotel Lobby: 6pm for a European Style Aperitif for the 4 Day, 6 Day and 8 Day Tours. Meet up with other guests, staff –  talk about tomorrows Challenge Tour Gran Fondo and the Tour Down Under ahead.

 Accommodation:

Adelaide City Centre, King William street

Non-cycling options:

Join the group in our vehicles on a sightseeing Scenic drive to Adelaide’s south coast, Goolwa – Victor Harbour – See TDU Stage 4 Finish Port Elliot

or Alternatively, ask us for some options based on your personal interests – we can generally infuse more of what you like into each day, maybe some wildlife spotting, a bushwalk – hike or explore Adelaide’s popular Museums, Galleries or Rundle Mall shopping district.

Our Rides: City –  

Plenty of distance and climbing options todays, you may like to skip the first big climb up into the Adelaide Hills it’s nearly 20km, as we head straight up into the Adelaide Hills via Eagle on the Hill and onto Adelaide’s highest vantage point Mt Lofty.

We regroup at the top of Mt Lofty, from here we are over the first big climb and we are now cycling through the “Little Europe” of the Adelaide Hills – and onto the German Settlement of Hahndorf. After a quick snack and coffee in Hahndorf, we’ll loop back through the scenic Adelaide Hills. We’ll pick up the race route and ride ahead of the peloton to todays race finish area.

We’ll catch the stage finish today, it’s sure to be exciting, we expect the overall race contenders to make their move today on this tough finishing circuit.

After the race finish and presentation, we then follow the pro team riders and head back down to the city by bike, it’s a real buzz to follow the Pro’s down through the Adelaide Hills – or relax in the airconditioned comfort of our vehicles and head back to our team hotel.

 TDU Race: TBA

We’ll keep you up to date as soon as the race organisers provide us with stage details for 2022

 Après Bike:

After freshening up back at our hotel after a great day – it’s a free program tonight to explore Adelaide, it’s restuarants, bars and eateries. We’ll be heading out for a social /informal dinner (non-inclusion), we’ll make a plan for dinner, feel free to join us – or relax and put your feet up in your spacious apartment and enjoy your favorite home cooking.

We’ve got plenty of great suggestions, we are based in the south end precinct where you can step out the door for great Italian, Greek, Asian, Gastro Pub or Australian fusion food. Let us know your preferred food types, budget and dining style! We’ll point you in the right direction for great local places.

Non-cycling options:

Join the group in our vehicles as we head to todays stage start. Explore the start village area, then watch the pro riders prepare for their day. The riders are generally more relaxed, you’ll find them sitting at the local cafe’s having a final coffee pre race start.

Our Rides: Active Recovery Day “Tapering Day”, Adelaide Hills – Race Start 

Today we’ve pencilled in an active recovery “Tapering Day” – after yesterdays Challenge Tour by the Advertiser Granfondo, everyone’s legs will be tired plus we’ll need to back up again on Sunday for our King of the Mountain rides.

We’ve designed rides to roll the legs over, then we head to the Santos Tour Down Under Stage start to catch all the pre-race action and excitement.

We then head back to our hotel or join the second part of our ride day being an “optional ride” or rest up your legs, take an afternoon siesta.

 TDU Race: TBA

We’ll keep you up to date as soon as the race organisers provide us with stage details for 2022

 Accommodation:

Adelaide City Centre, King William street

Departure day out of Adelaide – *Domestic late flights out after 8pm, International Flights after 9pm* or choose stay an additional night, relax and enjoy the last evening of  TDU festivities

Our Rides: Adelaide Hills – King of the Mountain

Distance: 65km, 85km. Climbing: 500m, 1200m

 TDU Race: King of the Mountain

 Après Bike:

If you are flying out today – when we return to the city from the King of the Mountain late in the day, we’ll assist you to pack your bike and transfer you to the Adelaide airport for your flight home – * Domestic flights out after 8pm – International flights out after 9pm*.

If you aren’t flying out tonight – that’s a very good idea, Adelaide Airport will be very busy – Although it’s a free program to explore Adelaide, it’s restaurants, bars and eateries, we’ll be heading out for a social /informal dinner (non-inclusion), we’ll make a plan for dinner – feel free to join us, it’s a great night to relax knowing there’s no early start for a ride, there’s always plenty to do and celebrations to be had on the final night of the Tour Down Under for another year.

We’ve got plenty of great suggestions, we are based in the south end precinct where you can step out the door for great Italian, Greek, Asian, Gastro Pub or Australian fusion food. Let us know your preferred food types, budget and dining style! We’ll point you in the right direction for great local places.

Departure day out of Adelaide – *Late flights out after 8pm* or choose stay an additional night, relax and enjoy the last evening of  TDU festivities

More About Our VIP King Of The Mountain Day Tour:

The King of the Mountain VIP Day Tour is perfect for Cyclists and Non-Cyclists. We have a fantastic location in the thick of the action to enjoy the afternoon’s festivities where we will witness the deciding final stage at the “King of the Mountain ” it’s a day to be remembered, don’t miss it!

You’ll experience an all-inclusive day of guided riding, gourmet food, drinks, exciting race watching, and see the finish of the King of the Mountain Final Stage. Watch the final winners presentation at the top of the mountain, includes transfers back from the stage, assistance to pack your bike and a transfer to the airport if required.

The day will include our famous European style picnic lunch, with a large range of the best local, European foods, drinks, wines, craft beers and French Bubbles.

Experience riding on the race course and KOM. Choose from multiple guided ride options to suit your preferred distance and climbing. Vehicle support for riders includes: mechanical assistance, hydration and ride snacks.

Non-cyclists have their own guided program for the day, you’ll take in the sights of the Adelaide Hills, small towns and visit the scenic Mount Lofty lookout and cafe. You’ll regroup with the cyclists atop the King of the Mountain at our gourmet picnic lunch area.

Our Rides: “VIP King of the Mountain Day Tour“

Distances & Climbing: 30km/550m – 85km/1450m [52 miles /4760ft]

This morning we have multiple supported, guided ride options planned to suit your needs, at a glance the rides may appear short in distance, yet there are plenty of vertical meters of climbing in each ride as we head high into the Adelaide Hills. As always we have plenty of optional extra’s km’s should you need more riding in your day, ask us how. 

*NB. When you arrive at the Mt Lofty KOM, you’ll be able to change into your comfortable attire from your day pack, and relax in the surrounds of our Pop-up event tents and enjoy our European style picnic lunch. We’ll watch the race as it approaches on the big screen TV and live as it loops through our location on the side of the course. We’ll be there to cheer on the riders and witness the exciting finish on top of Mt Lofty.

Ride Option 1 30km/550m:

Transfer in our vehicle, and skip the first big climb out of Adelaide. Once you arrive at the summit of Mt Lofty, ride a loop of the Adelaide hills racecourse finishing circuit, it’s a beautiful course through the hilly hinterland.

Ride Option 2: 55km/1250m:

25km/700m: Ride from our Hotels through the stage start area, we then peel off the racecourse to take in the Adelaide Hills and connect back up to the race course to ride the KOM to Mt Lofty. The climb from Adelaide is 16.5km/700m at 4% average, yet with steeper ramps the climb often feels harder than the average gradient suggests.  

30km/550m: Once you’re at the summit of Mt Lofty, gauge your feelings and energy levels, here you can choose to relax at our pop-up event tents, or continue on to ride a 30km lap of the beautiful Mt Lofty – Adelaide Hills loop on the race course.

Ride Option 3. 65km – 1400m:

35km/850m: Ride from our Hotels through the stage start area, we then follow the early sections of the racecourse and ride into the southern Adelaide Hills. We vere away from the race course and traverse the Adelaide Hills to re-join today’s race course in the lush hinterland towns. We then follow the race course up onto today’s KOM at Mount Lofty.  

30km/550m: Once you’re at the summit of Mt Lofty, gauge your feelings and energy levels, here you can choose to relax at our pop-up event tents, or continue on to ride a 30km lap of the beautiful Mt Lofty – Adelaide Hills race loop on the racecourse.  

Ride Option 4. 20km return ride to city

After the excitement of watching the King’s stage on Mt Lofty, we take a leisurely paced ride home to the city. The route back to the city will be busy with bikes and vehicles – ride with caution it’s a bumpy descent, please take care..

 Après Bike:

DEPARTURE DAY – late flights out of Adelaide Airport – after 8pm.

5.30pm: Airport Transfer, Depart Hotel Lobby – 6.15pm: Arrive Adelaide Airport
or choose stay an optional additional night, relax and enjoy the last eveing of  TDU festivities

 Accommodation:

Optional Extra: Stay at our 4 or 5 star Team Hotels in the Adelaide City Centre – Hilton Hotel 5 star, or our superb 4-star AppartHotel. Contact us for further details.