PUSH TO GO PRO TOUR

PUSH TO MAKE TOUR DOWN UNDER FIRST PROFESSIONAL RACE OUTSIDE OF EUROPE
The SA Government has begun lobbying to have South Australia's Tour Down Under as the first ProTour race outside of Europe beginning in 2009, following a meeting in London between Premier Mike Rann and world cycling boss, Pat McQuaid.
Premier Rann says the Government will begin making a serious effort to achieve ProTour status for the Tour Down Under prior to a decision being made in Stuttgart, Germany by the Union Cycliste Internationale Council in September this year.
South Australia will be competing with countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and Malaysia to become the first country to achieve professional status outside of Europe. California is also bidding to join the Pro Tour circuit.
"We intend to lodge our bid by the end of June, but lobbying for it will be ongoing right through until the final decision is announced in September," Mr Rann said.
"The meeting with Mr McQuaid was very positive, but there is a long way to go yet. I will be personally lobbying key figures in world cycling.
"Being part of the international cycling ProTour series will massively increase the Tour Down Under's international television audience and press coverage and significantly increase visitor numbers.
"Because the Tour Down Under is run through some of South Australia's finest landscapes, including the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Adelaide Hills as well as Adelaide, ProTour status will give us the kind of international coverage money can't buy.
UCI ProTour events consist of 20 ProTour teams which are ranked the top 20 cycling teams in the world. At the moment only about five or six ProTour teams compete in the Tour Down Under.
ProTour status for the event will mean that 20 ProTour ranked teams must compete at the Tour Down Under.
"Becoming part of the UCI ProTour event calendar will attract more international and interstate visitors, providing an opportunity to promote South Australia to the world.
"A ProTour status event will reinforce the States position as the leader in cycle tourism in the Southern Hemisphere.
The 2007 Tour Down Under event has been labelled another success with the debut of 14 teams and an increased recreational cycling participation program. The 2008 Tour Down Under will celebrate 10 great years when it is held from 19 - 27 January 2008.
"We will be significantly upgrading the race and looking to schedule in a series of complimentary events around the race to make it part of an annual festival of cycling in South Australia," Mr Rann said.