From teeny tots to the elite of the men and women’s professional peloton, Adelaide is rolling out the red carpet for cyclists of all ages and abilities. Sheree is at the heart of the action  

The Santos Tour Down Under and Women’s Tour may be the jewels in the crown of Adelaide’s nine-day cycling festival but there’s plenty to see and do before (and after) the riders are out on the course.

The Adelaide City Council Tour Village in Victoria Square is the heart and soul of the festival. It’s a gathering spot for fans and riders alike, hosting interviews and autograph signing sessions, nutritional advice from teams and leading chefs, opportunities to relive the day’s racing on the big screen and watch the mechanics set up and clean team bikes.

Crowds an hour before Saturday’s team presentation in the Village

After Saturday’s opening team presentation in front of a packed house, Sunday’s activities included the BUPA family ride with 400+ families and a further 1,500 participants in the Undies Run. Both events took place on the People’s Classic Choice circuit around Rymill Park ahead of the elite events watched by a crowd in excess of 100,000.

Undies run raised A$150k for bowel cancer

And that’s not all, a team of amateurs are riding the entire Tour Down Under course a day ahead of the professional peloton to raise funds for cancer and, in the BUPA Challenge Tour, recreational cyclists will tackle stage 4 ahead of the peloton.

How cute are these budding cyclists?

Then there’s the BUPA Mini Tour for kids aged 6-12 years’ old who will complete several laps of the final stage. It’s going to be a great nine days of racing for everyone.

Follow all the action and events at The Santos Tour Down Under on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and its website.