Santos Festival of Cycling showcases the best female riders in the country

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Santos Festival of Cycling showcases the best female riders in the country

Despite the cancellation of the 2021 men's and women's Tour Down Under, race organizers have decided to hold the four-day Santos Festival of Cycling (January 21-24).

While the men's and women's WorldTour teams will miss the Adelaide event, Kimberly Conte, organizer of the Women's Tour Down Under and now the Santos Festival of Cycling, has decided to hold this alternative event after several other races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After several other races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they believe that this alternative event will provide a great opportunity for Australian national athletes to showcase their talents and enjoy a valuable NRS opportunity.

"This is really important and we are excited to have a national event," Conte told Cycling News. It's been a tough year for everyone, and a challenge for the domestic riders who haven't had the opportunity to race or train. So it's really important for them, the fans, and the spectators to have a race in Adelaide and have some continuity."

GreenEdge will send a strong women's team, led by Grace Brown representing Australia, to the four-day event, but other World Tour teams will stay away due to long quarantine rules, and the event will provide a venue for domestic riders to race in front of a crowd and television audience.

"One of the things we've taken away is that it's an opportunity to focus on domestic riders. Having riders back from overseas racing in Australia, along with up-and-coming domestic riders, changes the dynamic of the race. There is an incredible amount of talent in Australia, and being able to focus on that talent is a shift, but definitely a positive one. It's also an Olympic year, which adds another dimension."

Both the men and women have the iconic climb of Willunga Hill on stage 3. This climb has been used in the men's Tour Down Under for many years, but never in the women's Tour Down Under. Therefore, the Willunga Hill climb will be the first chance to race on this climb that has become synonymous with racing in the southern hemisphere.

"It's the first time the women have finished on that hill, which is especially exciting. It will be a short, sharp, shiny stage. For the national athletes, it is even more important. Everyone knows Richie Porte is the king of this hill in the Tour Down Under. It's an iconic climb," Conte said.

While plans for the new event are underway, there are concerns about the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Australia. However, Conte is confident that the organizations behind the race, along with the relevant health authorities, are doing everything in their power to ensure a safe environment for fans, athletes, and staff.

"We always strive for a safe and successful event, but COVID has created so many challenges for the team here. They have done an enormous amount of work to make the event safe. So we designed the start and finish to be fairly safe and limited to a certain number of people. We have put together a policy with the South Australian State Board of Health to ensure that the teams, staff, and volunteers stay safe. It's a work in progress, but at this point everything is going well," Conte added.

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