A long ride to Rome: could the Giro d'Italia really be bound for Australia?
The Tour Down Under in South Australia shows that logistical challenges are not insurmountable for international cycling teams competing in Australia. Photograph:Earlier this month, the Giro d'Italia – Italy's premier cycling race and one of three Grand Tours on the global cycling calendar – began in Albania. So far, so normal – it is increasingly common for the Grand Tours to begin outside their homelands. The Tour de France first started outside France in 1954; in recent years, the Grand Départ has taken place in Italy, Spain, Denmark and Belgium. The Giro has previously rolled out from as far afield as Israel and Northern Ireland, while next year's Vuelta a España will begin in Monaco.
But on Monday, the well-known Australian cycling commentator Mike Tomalaris raised eyebrows when he suggested the 2027 Giro might begin half a world away: in Australia. With a post on Instagram, Tomalaris indicated he was breaking the news.
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'I can reveal officials from state governments have held high level discussions with the view of bringing the opening three stages of Italy's Grand Tour to Australia in May, 2027,' Tomalaris said in the post. 'This is not a joke. It's not a rumour. It's for real.'
The suggestion drew mixed reactions from the cycling world. Three-time Australian national champion Luke Plapp, who is midway through riding this year's Giro for Team Jayco AlUla, replied to Tomalaris's post: 'Genuinely impossible.' The French chef Gabriel Gaté, famous for his Taste le Tour segment during past SBS broadcasts of the Tour de France, was more enthusiastic: 'Incredibile!.' Others asked whether it was April Fools' Day. One commentator observed that it would be a long ride from Australia to Italy.
On a subsequent episode of the cycling podcast The Domestiques, Tomalaris went further and said he had 'seen the paperwork' relating to the bid. Nor did the Giro race director Mauro Vegni deny the rumour when asked about it by Belgian media outlet Sporza.
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'We don't rule anything out,' Vegni said. 'It's difficult from a practical and logistical point of view, but we don't say no to anyone in advance.'
But the race director was not exactly effusive about the prospect of an Australian Grande Partenza. 'Everything is possible, but you have to study the interest well, and you also have to find out what the UCI's position is,' he said. 'Moreover, we do not yet know how the calendar will be reformed soon and what the rules will be.'
Guardian Australia can reveal that this is not the first time the prospect of a Giro start in Australia has been explored.
Documents seen by the Guardian show detailed consideration went into a potential start in Sydney in 2021, including budget estimates and a proposed opening stage route taking in landmarks such as the Opera House (the race ultimately began in Italy that year). A letter from the Giro organisers, RCS Sports, formally invited the then New South Wales sports minister to attend an edition of the race in Italy.
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The logistical challenges of bringing almost 200 professional cyclists, plus team staff and equipment, to Australia for three or so stages and then returning the peloton to Italy would not be for the faint-hearted (or the climate-conscious). Typically World Tour teams use their own team bus and numerous team cars, which could not feasibly travel to Australia and back. Equipment would not be an insurmountable obstacle, though: the Tour Down Under in South Australia and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race are both fixtures on the World Tour calendar.
More challenging is the flight time and time difference. Races often have a rest day after international starts, but the travel and jetlag involved might require two rest days. Qantas flies direct from Perth to Rome on a seasonal basis, with a flight time of almost 16 hours.
The six-hour time difference also causes headaches: from a rider recovery perspective, and for television audiences – a critical factor due to the lucrative broadcast contracts underpinning these races. A Grand Tour start on the east coast of Australia, with longer flight times and time differences, would be even more problematic.
Could Western Australia be the key?
Given those geographical advantages, Western Australia seems the most likely candidate. The state government has been investing in cycling in recent years, securing hosting rights to the AusCycling national road championships and, in 2026, the UCI Gravel World Championships.
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A spokesperson for Tourism Western Australia told the Guardian: 'Tourism Western Australia actively works to secure a range of major and exclusive events that drive visitation, elevate WA on a global stage and generate significant media coverage for our state.'
'Individual event negotiations are commercial in confidence, however, we have a proud history of hosting high-profile cycling events,' the spokesperson added. 'We're always assessing new content to add to our always on, year-round events calendar, to affirm our reputation as the fastest growing events destination in the South East Asia region and as a world-class host of major sporting events.'
Related: Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan stuns sport by announcing retirement
As described by the cycling news outlet Escape Collective, which first reported the statement, the state government's position seems to be 'not a 'yes', but it's also not-not a yes'.
Sooner or later, a Grand Tour will begin outside cycling's European heartland. Israel was a first step in 2018; the Middle East has been touted as a potential next frontier – there have been a proliferation of World Tour races across the region in recent years, including in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Australia has a rich cycling history, but geography counts against it. In cycling, though, nothing is impossible.
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