2010 SANTOS TOUR DOWN UNDER

South Australia played host to Australia’s only UCI ProTour event, the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under, on the 19-24 January 2010.  The event enjoys an amazing level of support from the South Australian government, which has played a major role in attracting a line up of the worlds best teams and riders including world champion, Cadel Evans, seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, and last years winner, Andre Griepel.

The Tour Down Under was again a huge success, attracting crowds of more than 700,000 over the six days.  The locals get into the full spirit of the event, decorating houses with balloons and banners of their favourite teams and cyclists and turning out in their thousands to cheer on the riders.

The atmosphere at each of the six stages was electric.  Spectators could hardly contain their excitement at the sight of the colourful Tour Parade featuring the official mascots of the Tour Down Under, Oppy the Kangaroo and six larger-than-life sized torsos of each of the race jerseys mounted on to Tour Parade vehicles, signalling the riders are just 20 minutes away.  

One of the premium viewing spots was the celebrated King of the Mountain atop Willunga Hill, which saw some 11,000 die hard cyclists, many of whom rode the hill prior to the arriving peloton, hanging from tree limbs, perched on steep sidings or crammed four deep along the thin roadside corners for the chance to see what has become the traditional ‘big race move’ by the leading riders.  This years Willunga stage did not disappoint with Aussie hero Cadel Evans leading a four man breakaway attack late in the stage.

CycleSmart had a presence at four of the six stages – meeting cyclists and discussing the bike insurance product as well as distributing over 14,000 pieces of collateral.  With distinctive bright yellow CycleSmart branded jerseys and giveaways, Swann’s staff added to the colour of the event and were an easily identifiable part of the largest elite cycling event in Australia.

The overall winner of the event was German sprinter Andre Griepel who won Stages One, Two and Four and finished fifth at Stage six, claiming his second Santos Tour Down Under crown. Swann’s consolation prize winner however was Norwegian tourist ‘Jokkum’ who was spotted riding from Adelaide to Melbourne as part of his cycling trip around Australia.  He was given a CycleSmart Jersey and was spotted some  four days later some 500km east of our meeting him, sweating it out in his new (if now somewhat sweaty) clothing. If you happen to see Jokkum on your travels up or down the east coast make sure you give him a wave.