2022 Santos Festival of Cycling
Finally borders are opening. It's time to holiday with your bike and explore roads less beyond your backyard.
Our weeklong Adelaide bike holiday coincides with the 2022 Santos Festival of Cycling.
8 days
Adelaide, South Australia
Tour Departs
Adelaide, South Australia, January 23, 2022 | Optional start January 22, 2022
Tour Finishes
Adelaide, South Australia, January 30, 2022
Tour Style
Group Size: 18 guests – 3 staff
Rides: Ride the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Beaches, Winery Regions and the famous routes of the Santos Tour Down Under. Our rides will intersect with each road stage of the Santos Festival of Cycling.
Challenge Rating: All rides have the option to leave from and return to the hotel. Our support vehicle will allow you to shorten your ride should it be necessary.
Accommodation: Stay at race headquarters, adjacent to the festival village at the Hilton Adelaide, close to the Gouger Street dining precinct and Adelaide Central Markets.
Trip Suitability
Social Riding and Leisure: We understand that your cycling holiday is a HOLIDAY! You may not normally ride every day at home. Our ride routes allow you to cherry-pick the sort of riding that you’d like to do. Choose the days you want to climb, the days to ride flat, and days to rest.
Experienced Riders: Your cycling holiday is actually about the bike! Our epic and challenging ride options seek more vertical metres and longer miles. Choose your rest days or recovery rides, or just ride, and ride, and ride.
Meals Included
- Buffet breakfast every day
- Welcome drinks and canapes
- Australia Day long-lunch including drinks
- Gourmet picnic
Tour Inclusions
Accommodation and Transport
- Transport throughout
- Transport for your bike with professional bike carriers
- 7 nights accommodation in 4-star hotel at race headquarters
- Arrival transfer on day one from Adelaide Airport
- Departure transfer to Adelaide Airport
Meals
- Buffet breakfast daily
- Australia Day Long Lunch (including drinks)
- Welcome drinks with canapes
- Gourmet Picnic
Professional Ride Support
- Hosted by our experienced tour guides and professional drivers
- Mechanical assistance with your bike
- Ride support vehicle when you need it most
- Navigation assistance on all guided rides
- Sports powders, water and bars during your ride
Why we Love this Tour
- Travel with the original Travel Specialist to the Santos Tour Down Under. Our trips to the Santos Tour Down Under have run since Adelaide opened its borders to the biggest cycling event in the southern hemisphere.
- Ride the great climbs of the Adelaide Hills, enjoying a downhill run back to your hotel.
- One hotel, one week, at Race Headquarters
- Famous winery regions McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley
- Optional extra night, making the 9-day trip
Pricing
Price: AUD $4000 (twin share) | AUD$350 for additional night
Single Supplement: AUD $1400
Note: All trip costs are per person, not including airfare and based on two persons per room. If travelling alone we will match you with a person to share. Alternatively, you may choose to have a room of your own by paying the single supplement.
Note: It is a requirement of Bikestyle Tours that you have Travel Insurance for your trip. Please take out Travel Insurance at your earliest convenience. We recommend at the same time as paying your deposit.
2022 Santos Festival of Cycling Trip Summary
Ride Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale
Visit locations like Hahndorf, Stirling, Lobethal, McLaren Vale, and Barossa Valley. We guarantee a rich experience on and off the bike. Coffee shops, bakeries, cheese-makers, wine producers, micro-breweries and local produce – discover Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, and the wine growing regions of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.
Your rides have been carefully selected to experience the great climbs like Checkers Hill, Norton Summit, Gorge Road, Corkscrew and all those connections across the Basket Range. We’ve even spiced up a few of our rides with some great gravel deviations.
Open Borders. Summer cycling. Escape with your bike.
The South Australian Government has announced that their borders will open for fully vaccinated travellers and they are hosting Australia’s best cyclists for the 2022 Santos Festival of Cycling. Join us for the festival to experience great RADelaide culture, divine international food, stunning wineries, and famous ride routes of the Tour Down Under.
Our base for the week-long festival will be the Headquarters of the event – Hilton Adelaide. The Festival village will be on your doorstep with evening entertainment, showcase events, and beside the famous Adelaide Central Markets. Each morning enjoy a full buffet breakfast, fuelling up for a ride along the routes made famous by the Tour Down Under. Each one of our rides conveniently takes us to watch the live racing of the Women’s and Men’s National Racing series.
See stages of the 2022 Festival of Cycling
- Sunday 23 January – Women’s – Barossa Valley
- Monday 24 January – Women’s – McLaren Vale
- Tuesday 25 January – Women’s – Adelaide Hills
- Wednesday 26 January – Women’s and Men’s – Evening Criteriums
- Thursday 27 January – Men’s – Adelaide Hills
- Friday 28 January – Men’s – Adelaide Hills
- Saturday 29 January – Men’s – McLaren Vale and Old Willunga Hill
2022 Santos Festival of Cycling – Daily Itinerary
Welcome to South Australia
Arrival and the start of the Women’s NRS Road Race
Our staff will meet you at the Adelaide airport and transfer you and your bike to our accommodation for the week. Wake up each morning and enjoy a full buffet breakfast before departing on your ride. Each evening you can catch the Festival Entertainment and walk to the many great restaurants in Adelaide.
This evening we will venture to a local bar for an aperitif and some canapes before heading out for dinner. There are many great dining areas in Adelaide, and you will find your preferred cuisine within walking distance of our hotel.
Arrive a day earlier and ride to the finish of today’s opening stage of the Women’s road race in Williamstown. Your additional day’s of activities in Adelaide is just $350.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Arrival and transfer from Adelaide Airport
- Henley Beach Ride
- Evening welcome function - aperitif and canapes
This afternoon we will take a warm-up ride to Henley Beach. It is a great way to unwind from your travel, meet your fellow travellers. It will be an easy ride taking the bikeway along the Torrens. We will return via Glenelg after visiting the Henley Beach jetty.
Arrive a day earlier and take our return ride to the Barossa Valley.
Strudels and wonderful country villages
Enjoy a coffee and strudel in Hahndorf. Stage 2 of Women’s NRS.
After breakfast we head off into the Adelaide Hills. Our stunning ride rolls its way through the small wineries and orchards of the Adelaide Hills. As we roll over the Basket Range, the landscape opens up to some of the famous South Australian wineries near Balhannah.
Our pause in Hahndorf this morning gives us time to enjoy some strudel, coffee, and possibly some small gift shopping for our family back home.
Today’s undulating stage of the Women’s race is a familiar and memorable landscape for Bikestyle Tours guide Lorian Graham, who won the national road cycling championships in the closing kilometres into Echunga. Expect some late attacks on today’s stage.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Norton Summit
- Hahndorf
- Wineries and orchards of Adelaide Hills
- Stage 2 Women’s NRS
Our climb out of the city today is up the stunning Norton Summit road. Our route out of the city takes us through Norwood, a vibrant suburb of Adelaide. The gradual climb takes us to the Scenic Hotel where we will regroup before navigating through the wineries and orchards of the Adelaide Hills. We then arrive in Hahndorf via a beautiful gravel road. We’ll stop for a strudel and coffee. We can then watch the finish of the women’s stage in Echunga. You have the option to ride home or catch a lift in our support vehicle,
Checker Hill and Lobethal
Steep gradients of Checker Hill and Women’s Stage around Lobethal
Today we head North East of the city to experience one of the most demanding climbs that have featured in the Santos Tour Down Under, Checker Hill. Not for its length, but with a gradient well about 10%, it will be a struggle to stay in the saddle. Pain is temporary and we then make our way to Lobethal to watch today’s stage multiple times with a twisting circuit through Adelaide Hills. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for koalas on today’s ride.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Lower North East Road
- Check Hill
- Lobethal
In the cool of the morning, we will head North East of Adelaide and take the Lower North East road to Inglewood. It is a fun winding road along the edge of Millbrook Reservoir. We head toward the north before tackling the steep road of Checker Hill. After conquering the steep gradients, we’ll ride directly to Lobethal for the final stage of the Women’s NRS road race. Our return follows the Gorge Road back to Adelaide
Australia Day in Adelaide
Beaches ride and a long lunch before the evening criteriums
It is essentially a rest day for the NRS road races today. It is also a public holiday, so we’ll take advantage of the quieter roads and head off on a morning ride, complete with an exploration of the southern beaches.
We will host you at a local restaurant for a long lunch in Adelaide at a local restaurant. We will walk down and watch the evening criterium.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Chandlers Hill
- Adelaide Southern Beaches
- Long lunch including drinks
- Evening Criteriums
Our ride this morning takes us to Chandlers Hill where we follow the escarpment and descend onto the Southern Adelaide beaches and return following the coastline. Our long ride is 100km, and a shorter 60km route is available.
Opening Stage of Men’s Road Race
Ride the famous Corkscrew before the stage in Lobethal.
The Men’s NRS road race starts today, with a route through the Adelaide Hills. With a circuit finish around Lobethal, there are great race viewing opportunities on the circuit.
Tonight, you are free to explore the city at a preferred restaurant.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Corkscrew Road
- Opening Stage in Lobethal
Our ride gives us an opportunity to warm up before tackling the famous Corkscrew Rd. The entry is off Gorge Road, and the canopy and cool waters of the Torrens keep the valley cool. You cross a small creek and the road shoots up, like a corkscrew.
It is just 2.2km in length, but save the legs for the top section that flattens out. Our route takes us to Lobethal for the race, with some sections of gravel as we explore through the Adelaide Hills.
Stunning Adelaide Hills
Watch the stage start at the panoramic Mt Lofty Summit.
After fueling up on a buffet breakfast we will head into the Adelaide Hills up the Crafers bikeway beside the SE Freeway. We make a small loop around Stirling, the commercial hub of the Adelaide Hills.
We will arrive at Mt Lofty in time to watch the peloton head off on today’s stage, and make an alternative route to the finish in Woodside. We have another circuit finish, which will give multiple opportunities for attackers on the punchy climb each loop. We’ll travel back to Adelaide this afternoon and for those interested, we will head up to watch the XCC and Four-Cross events at the Eagle Mountain Bike Park.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Stirling
- Mt Lofty Summit and stage start
- Stage finish in Woodside
- XCC and Four-Cross Mountain Bike event
Our ride takes up Crafers bikeway and through a stunning loop near Stirling. The windy road through Aldgate valley is one of the most beautiful roads that we’ve ridden in our years of travelling to Adelaide for the Santos Tour Down Under. We’ll follow the riders out and rejoin them to watch the finishing circuit in Woodside.
Old Willunga Stage Finish
Ride to McLaren Vale and the famous Old Willunga Hill.
Today’s stage is classic. It has been the most popular and important stage format for many Santos Tour Down Under races. The finish up Old Willunga is an all-out effort for the peloton and an absolute test to select the strongest rider. We can enjoy the climb at our own pace, or an effort for your personal best if you choose. Join us for a gourmet picnic as we watch the finish of the race.
Tonight, back in Adelaide we’ll wrap up our trip with an evening at the Cyclo-Cross event. This pays homage to the routes of the sport and resonates with the Belgian cycling purists.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Old Willunga Hill
- McLaren Vale
- Twilight Cyclo-Cross event
Our feature ride today takes us out of Adelaide through Unley and up the Belair Road. We enjoy the undulating road to Clarendon, where koala sightings are common. Out of Clarendon, we follow the many wineries to McLaren Vale for the stage start. Enjoy a morning coffee and cake, before we finish our ride to the top of Old Willunga Hill. After the race, you can join the high-speed groups back to Adelaide
Farewell from Adelaide
We bid farewell to our guests, and welcome back travel.
It has been a long time coming, a return to some state of normality and travelling with our bikes again. We thank you for joining us in Adelaide as we celebrate open borders and socialising.
For those departing today, we will arrange your transfers to the Adelaide Airport to connect with your flight.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Farewell to guests
- Transfer to Adelaide Airport for Depature
Why Book with Bikestyle Tours?
A COVID-Safe plan
- All staff and guests must complete a pre-travel questionnaire prior to the start of the trip
- Bikestyle Tours complies with the COVID requirements of the local authorities (Tourism and Accommodation, Bike Tours); such as controls for social distancing, cleaning and hygiene, vehicle transport
- All guests must be fully vaccinated to join the tour
- Check your departure and return requirements for your country of residence
Are Trips Guaranteed Departures?
We make every effort to guarantee departures to give you peace of mind that once you’ve booked your trip – you’re going! We do not cancel trips due to insufficient numbers leaving you stranded.