Tour of the Tropics to run as two-stage event
A CONDENSED Tour of the Tropics will be held after the original multistage cycling event was postponed due to the coronavirus.
Organisers have capitalised on the shift of the show holiday to August 14, setting up a twostage mini event to be run over August 15-16.
The first stage will be held
Gordonvale, meandering in through the region’s sugar fields before a challenging kermesse-style circuit.
The second stage will be held in the heart of the Cairns CBD in a closed road, close format circuit on the Esplanade.
Race director Damian Ingram said the support from Cairns Regional Council could not be overstated.
Organisers will use the next five weeks to secure permits to allow the event to be run.
“(Council) clearly see the vision that we have for the town,” Ingram said.
“Cairns needs some certainty, with so many tourist-attracting events having been cancelled. Looking to support the local tourism, while meeting the desires of cyclists to fulfil their competitive streak, is why the Tour of the Tropics was established.”
The Tour of the Tropics was originally set to be held over five stages, showcasing the Tablelands and Far North Queensland to the rest of the country after it was promoted as being the first stage race of the National Road Series.
The coronavirus forced the event to be postponed, but the recent easing of government restrictions has allowed organisers to put together a shorter version of the epic to give cyclists a key race to look forward to and provide another event to attract visitors from Queensland and interstate.
The Tour of the Tropics will be held a fortnight after the MiHaven Mareeba Mini Tour.
The Cairns Cycling Club event will include a criterium, a graded road race and an individual time trial, and will run on the weekend of August 1-2.
Competitive cycling is back this weekend with race four of Cairns Cycling Club’s criterium series.