South Australia has cemented its place as the cycling capital of the Southern Hemisphere, with Adelaide set to host the Oceania Road Championships for the first time in January 2027.
The championships will run from 15–17 January as a curtain-raiser to the Santos Tour Down Under, coinciding with the opening weekend of the Santos Festival of Cycling and the first round of the ProVelo Super League Series.
The event will feature both time trial and road race competitions, crowning men’s and women’s champions across elite, under-23 and under-19 categories.
A prestigious honour roll
The Oceania Cycling Confederation comprises 16 member nations including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa. Past champions include some of the most accomplished names in Australian cycling: Luke Durbridge, Cameron Meyer, Lucas Hamilton, Chris Harper, Gracie Elvin, Katrin Garfoot, Jess Allen, Lauren Kitchen and Shara Gillow.
The championships have traditionally been held in March or April (this year’s event took place in Brisbane), but the shift to January and Adelaide is designed to allow more professional riders to compete before they head to Europe for the season.
Full course details, including the location of the road race and time trial, will be announced in coming weeks.
A historic Tour Down Under to follow
The Oceania Championships will set the stage for six days of WorldTour racing. The 2027 Santos Tour Down Under will make history as the first race in the world to hold men’s and women’s racing over the same distance on the same day when the two events overlap.
The six-stage men’s race runs from 19–24 January, with the three-stage women’s race held from 22–24 January.
“Securing the Oceania Cycling Championships is the perfect lead-in to what will be an historic Santos Tour Down Under,” said Minister for Tourism Emily Bourke. “It provides spectators with some fantastic racing to mark the start of our Festival of Cycling before the WorldTour action begins and showcases more of our state to an international audience.”
Oceania Cycling Confederation President Tony Mitchell said the January timing opens opportunities for the region’s top professionals to chase the Oceania Champions jersey before wearing it in Europe.
“Adelaide is well known as a cycling capital for hosting the Santos Tour Down Under for over 20 years as well as World Championships, World Cups, Oceania and National Championships across disciplines,” Mitchell said. “This is the perfect location to host the Championships.”
Riders from Australia, New Zealand and across the Pacific will converge on Adelaide for what promises to be a fitting start to an exceptional summer of cycling.
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