Tour Down Under grabs another "first" on the field of gender equality with mirrored stages for both men's and women's peloton in 2027!
Cycling
For over a decade, it's been a tradition for the Tour Down Under to hold both men's and women's races. And since 2023, we have seen both events run under a WorldTour license. But another big change is coming in 2027 - stages of the women's race will run the exact same parcours as men's race stages, even though the current format of six stages for men's race, and three for women's remains.
According to the organizers, this is the most significant development to the race program in the event’s 26-year history.
The UCI WorldTour season will open with a six-stage men’s race from Tuesday, January 19 and run through Sunday, January 24. The same applies for the women's side with a three-stage race which will be held from Friday (January 22) till Sunday (January 24).
On the corresponding race days, the women’s peloton will start approximately 90 minutes after the men roll out, covering the exact same distance and route by utilising the same start and finish locations.
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The change comes upon a request by the UCI, following feedback from the women’s teams, to reduce the total time the women’s peloton is required to spend in Australia for two WorldTour races – the Santos Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
"The challenge we were given by the UCI was to deliver a more condensed program of racing and optimise the time the women’s teams spent in Australia. We saw it as an opportunity to do something different and bring both men’s and women’s racing together and finish off with a bumper final weekend of racing," said race director Stuart O'Grady about the change in press release.
Whilst it's not a novelty for men and women to race on the same day, it's definitely a "first" for Tour Down Under to have both groups race over the same distances, on the same course.
In addition, Tour Down Under continues its movement for equality with equal prizemoney for women and men, an effort which dates back to 2018 edition. Naturally, both races will see a simultaneous live broadcast.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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