Mike Turtur, Tour Down Under Race Director, says: "The 2009 Tour Down Under is on track and on schedule."

"We have had assurances from the UCI that our event will remain in the top echelon of world cycling. We have also spoken to the elite teams who rate the event highly and plan to be in Adelaide in January 2009."

"I am confident that the Tour Down Under will remain part of the elite competition calendar and continue to be a major event in world cycling."

"The announcement by the ProTour teams is the latest installment in the four-year-long battle between the ASO, the UCI and teams based in Europe. We wait to see how it will play out in the coming weeks."

The countdown to the southern hemisphere’s leading cycling event officially begins today, with the launch of the 2009 Tour Down Under UCI ProTour event and the unveiling of its race routes.

Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the 2009 race is expected to draw record crowds and visitors from interstate and overseas to witness world-class cycling action over six days of fierce competition.

Today Dr Lomax-Smith to preview the 2009 event and race routes that will take cyclists through some of the State’s most scenic locations.

“This year our Tour Down Under made history by becoming the first race outside of Europe to join the prestigious UCI ProTour circuit,” Dr Lomax-Smith says.

“Next year’s event will again kick off the UCI ProTour race calendar and we expect more than 500,000 spectators will cheer on the world’s best cycling teams.