Tour Down Under confirmed out to 2013

Santos Tour Down Under - a great way to start the pro tour (c)RoadCycling.co.nz

The Tour Down Under, now known as the Santos Tour Down Under, received confirmation of the extension yesterday.

"The Tour Down Under became the first ProTour event outside cycling's traditional home of Europe in 2008
and the event now holds an enviable position as the first event on the world cycling calendar," South Australia Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith said.

"This is a real vote of confidence in the Tour from the UCI, and confirms the Santos Tour Down Under as one of the best cycling races in the world," she said.

"The event has grown in stature every year since it joined the UCI ProTour in 2008, and I'm delighted that this successful partnership will continue for many years to come.

"Since becoming a ProTour event, the crowd and visitor numbers, levels of media coverage and the economic impact to the State have all increased dramatically. Spectator numbers have grown from 357,000 pre-ProTour to 760,500 in 2009."

"Being part of the UCI ProTour means we attract the best teams to compete at our event in Adelaide each January, and notable riders for next year's race include Lance Armstrong and the debut of his new team, Team RadioShack."

In addition to Team RadioShack, Team BMC have previously said they were working towards the Santos Tour Down Under as their first event too.

With the addition of these two teams, the event will be even bigger and better than last year.   The 2010 Santos Tour Down Under will be held in South Australia from 17-24 January 2010.

For more information, visit www.tourdownunder.com.au

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