All the best events you need to hit up at the 2020 Tour Down Under

Words - James Raison

Our annual curated events guide is back to cut through the noise and help you make decisions on where to spend your precious time! For those wanting to see absolutely everything then head over to allthetdu.com - that’s where you’ll drown in options for what to do.

Just a note that I’m not directly going to reference the race stages. We have guides for:

This guide is aimed at those wanting a CBD-focused Tour Down Under experience so most things are close to the city and happen after TDU stages have finished.

POP-UPS

The big players are all back:

Rapha is back with a new location inside the Queen's Theatre which sits on Playhouse Lane. They’re doing their full shebang of group rides, pouring beers, and running Zwift-offs from January 16-25. We’ll also throw an endorsement behind their group rides which are designed and led by friends of ours. SRAM will be taking up some real estate in there too.
MAAP are returning to the Mill at 154 Angas St from Jan 16-25. They don’t have the activity density of Rapha but they still dominate the Willunga Pilgrimage Ride on Sunday the 26th.
Black Sheep/Specialized have an interesting mix of things at their Chateau at 74 Frome St. Their run will be quite short with January 20-24 but there’s plenty of swag, beer, and even CyclingTips podcast tapings going on in there. Do be careful to research the group rides you show up for because there’s some Specialized Creo demo days in there.

There’s also smaller pop-ups listed on AllTheTDU.

GROUP RIDES

There’s an absurd number of branded group rides from Rapha, Biketivist/San Remo/Bike Society, Black Sheep/Specialized, Santini, Hells500, Velocio/Cycle Closet, CyclingTips, and more.

We won’t play favourites beyond saying that the Rapha and Hells500 rides have a lot of local knowledge poured into them. So you’re more likely to ride somewhere new by joining up with those.

They’re listed on AllTheTDU if you want to see them or you can cherry pick from our own Adelaide Cycling Routes guide.

FRIDAY 17 JANUARY

THE ADVERTISER TRACK DOWN UNDER II - Adelaide SuperDrome - 7:30pm to 10:30pm

Go to the event website.

It’s a bit of a voyage out to Gepps Cross, but it’s a great opportunity to see some of Australia’s best track talent going warp speed in the leadup to the Tokyo Olympics.

There’s a stack of events including Eliminations, Heartstarters and Scratch races, and a special 1000m Madison Time Trial.

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY

Team Presentation and City of Adelaide Tour Village Opening - Victoria Square - 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm

Go to the event website.

Get your first glimpse at the massive bike expo, and at the TDU pros. There’s a free concert by the Veronicas at 8.30 but… y’know… feel free to leave…

SUNDAY 19 JANUARY

There’s nowhere else to be than smack in the middle of the CBD on Sunday with WTDU Schwalbe Stage 4 and Mens Schwalbe Classic Criterium on the same 1.7 km loop. It’s adjacent to the City of Adelaide Tour Village where the expo will be open and packed full of punters.

WTDU Stage 4 runs from 4:45 pm - 5:45 pm
Mens Schwalbe Classic runs from 6:45 pm - 7:45 pm

MONDAY 20 JANUARY

Giant Adelaide criterium - 4.30pm to 10pm - Victoria Park

Go to the Facebook Event

Norwood Cycling Club (NCC) is hosting their first night of angry bike circles at Victoria Park in the Eastern Parklands. For those who’ve never been, Victoria Park is a beloved asset to the local cycling community with a closed loop, traffic-free, and grandstand-adjacent track where bikes can turn right in anger.

There’s a lot of racing going on with:

Womens A, B, C
Mens A, B, C, D
Junior A, B, C.

There’s big prize money, beer, food, and usually a beautiful sunset backdrop to hawt race action. Don’t miss it!

Vic Park crits are an Adelaide racing institution

TUESDAY 21 JAN

Butterfields criterium - 4.30pm to 10pm - Victoria Park

Go to the Facebook event.

It’s same again for Tuesday with NCC hosting another big night of racing at Vic Park. So you can re-read the synopsis above!

ZWIFT Women’s Pro-Am - Black Sheep Chateau 7 pm to 11 pm

Go to the Facebook event

Those not interested in crits can head to the Chateau for stationary racing at Black Sheep’s Chateau. There’s not a lot of information about what’s happening but we’ll always encourage punters to get out and engage with womens cycling.

WEDNESDAY 22 JAN

Wednesday tends to be an inexpliccably quiet day at the Tour Down Under so feel free to catch your breath and maybe take an early night. Naturally, all the pop-ups are still kicking.

Unley Gourmet Gala - King William Road, Hyde Park - 5 pm to 10.30 pm

Go the the event website.

This event is a short trundle from the CBD. King William Road is a lovely retail and food strip and this event tends to be very pleasant indeed.

Zwift X Speed Club - Bicycle Express, 124 Halifax St - 5 pm to 9 pm

Go to the event website.

More Zwifting for those who want to watch some indoor racing after cooking themselves outdoors.

THURSDAY 23 JAN

Norwood on Tour Street Party - Norwood Parade - 5 pm to 10 pm

Go to the event website

I’m a parrochial local so I really love it when events close down the Parade for a street party. Again, it’s all about good food, buying things you don’t need, and being outdoors when the temperature is civil and the sun is low. You only need to ride maybe 4 km from the CBD too.

SA Junior Criterium Championships - Victoria Park - 6 pm to 8.30 pm

Why not swing by Vic Park on your way to the Parade to support some stars of the future? There’s combined, boys, and girls races to keep you entertained. Who knows, you could see the next Amanda Spratt or Caleb Ewan blasting the tarmac with those tiny chainrings!

FRIDAY 24 JAN

MAKER - THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST OF AUSTRALIAN CYCLING - Tour Village 1pm-10pm

We’re biased because we’re the media partner but MAKER will be incredible. A phenomenal list of Australian brands will be taking some prime real estate in the City of Adelaide Tour Village to show and sell their wares. There’s going to be everything from frame makers, kit brands, bike bag wizards, to indoor bike storage. Check out the full list of attendees in our MAKER guide.

The event will wrap around the Northern end of the Village.

ROLLER FRENZY XII - Tour Village 6 pm to 10pm

Go to the Facebook event

The Port Adelaide Cycling Club’s Roller Frenzy has turned into a cult classic event because it’s objectively hilarious to watch. Imagine a stage with 4 people on rollers competing to be the first to spin their wheels a certain number of times while the Tour Village mega screen shows their progress. There’s knockout heats until a final winner is crowned. Everyone from local crit demons to WTDU pros come out to test their might. The gurning is incredible. The lactic acid is thick in the air. It all happens in the dead centre Vic Square with MAKER wrapped around the edges. It’s the best!

SATURDAY 25 JAN

TREK Night Riders - 2019/2020 National Criterium Series - 5.30pm to 8.30 pm

Go to the Facebook Event

This will be MEGA. Cycling South Australia and the Tour Down Under are hosting the final round of the National Criterium Series in the heart of the CBD, right next to the City of Adelaide Tour Village.

It’s a completely new event and we’re absolutely stoked to see it happen! You’d have to be completely bonkers to miss it.

SUNDAY 26 JAN

Flippin’ heck it’s going to be a monstrous day! The big finale on Willunga Hill and Australia Day. There’s not many events, just the hectic bunchies out and back from Willunga Hill. So we’ll just say; stay safe and have fun!

STRAYA!

Monday 27 Jan

Cry. Cry for your legs, your wallet, your burnt skin and that your job is waiting for you. Also cry that it’s the longest time before the 2021 Tour Down Under.