The 2027 Santos Women's Tour Down Under will run on the same day and across the same stage distances as the final three days of racing in the men's event, with the decision to double up made in a bid to shorten the length of time that the women's teams are required to spend in Australia at the start of each season.
The men's WorldTour opener is expected to run from January 19-24 with the three-stage Women's WorldTour race then set to take place on January 22-24, the stages starting around 90 minutes after the men roll out and racing the same distance and route.
“The challenge we were given by the UCI was to deliver a more condensed program of racing and optimise the time the women’s teams spent in Australia," said race director Stuart O'Grady in a statement.
“We saw it as an opportunity to do something different and bring both men’s and women’s racing together and finish off with a bumper final weekend of racing."
The women's race has run before the men's event in previous years, meaning the teams had to be away longer for fewer days of racing as they waited through the gap to the Women's WorldTour ranked Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which this year was held on January 31, a 12 solid gap from the finish of the Women's Tour Down Under on January 19.
While running men's and women's events on the same day isn't new, the Tour Down Under said it will be the first to mirror the stages.
“Every year we’ve seen the level of women’s racing at the TDU progress and that will now extend to having the peloton riding longer stages, so I’m looking forward to seeing the atmosphere out on the roads for a huge final weekend of the Tour," said assistant race director Carlee Taylor.
“It’s also a great platform to highlight the strength of our women’s peloton on a level we haven’t seen before, and the fact that we’re even able to do this reflects the growth and progression of women’s cycling.”
More to come ....
