COMING OF AGE The TDU Turns 21
RATHER THAN LABEL IT ‘AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER stage race’ or ‘Australia’s biggest bike race’ or something else, it’s probably best to call it for what it is: Australia’s most important cycling event.
Because without a shadow of doubt, over the past 20 years, no shindig has done more to lift the profile of the sport in Australia than the Tour Down Under.
In sport or, for that matter, any other field, it is the blue riband event and the marquee names that garner the most attention. From there, there is a trickle-down effect all the way to grassroots level. The example set at the highest bar, good or bad, therefore impacts everything else.
It is why, in 2009, the presence of Lance Armstrong was such a coup for the TDU when he chose to make his comeback
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days