The National Road Series (NRS) men's and women's four-day stage races will now be held in and around Adelaide, Australia, from January 21-24, replacing the men's and women's Tour Down Under, which was cancelled in January.

The stages for both events will be held on the same day along very similar routes, with a reduced "queen" stage 3, the stage that normally decides the men's race, finishing on Willunga Hill on Saturday, January 23.

The opening stage on Thursday, January 21, runs from Seppeltsfield to Tanunda in South Australia's famous Barossa Valley wine region, one hour north of Adelaide. The following day, the second stage will take the familiar road between Birdwood and Lovetal, while the third stage will take the riders from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill.

Both races will then conclude with a criterium around Victoria Park in Adelaide on Sunday, January 24.

While the men's race will function as a scaled-down version of the World Tour race, held over six stages each year, the women's race has already been held over four days, and the route for the 2021 women's race has added Willunga Hill, with the famous climb usually tackled only by the men's race, arguably even better than usual.

The race will consist of national teams and well-known athletes who will be in Australia over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, rather than those who would participate in the World Tour, but as part of the six days (January 19-24) that make up the Santos Festival of Cycling, the four-day race will give Australian fans something tangible to look forward to.

Free tickets, available through the Tour Down Under website beginning December 14, will allow a limited number of spectators to attend the start and finish of the stage.

South Australian Premier Stephen Marshall said in a press release on Monday: "South Australia has a proven track record of hosting world-class events that create jobs and deliver significant economic benefits to the state. South Australia has an impressive track record of delivering world-class events that create jobs and generate significant economic impact for the State. [Hittaf Rashid, Executive Director of Events South Australia, said, "Looking forward now, to celebrate Adelaide and our beautiful region, to support local businesses and communities, to showcase the great things about our state, and to keep the pulse of South Australia beating this summer. It is important that we do what we can," he added.

Route of the 2021 Santos Festival of Cycling NRS (road race):

- Stage 1, Thursday, January 21: Seppelt Field to Tanunda (men 106.8 km / women 80.7 km) - Stage 2, Friday, January 22: Birdwood - Lobethal (116km for men / 97.3km for women) - Stage 3, Saturday, January 23: McLaren Vale - Willunga Hill (men 88.2km / women 48.8km) - Stage 4, Sunday, January 23: Victoria Park, Adelaide (criterium) [21