Mike Turtur
The man behind the Tour Down Under
Koala
Our Man from Down Under
The Hilton Hotel
The home of the riders
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Mike Turtur,
the man behind the Tour Down Under
Interview by: Martin
 As the Tour Down Under is the new start to the UCI ProTour season and it is the ‘newbee’ on the cycling calendar; we were wondering why is it so successful? Who’s the driving force behind this new UCI ProTour event? When I spoke to Mike Turtur that became abundantly clear: The enthusiasm shone through the telephone line, all the way to Holland! This is a man breathing, eating and sleeping cycling, the Tour Down Under is coming out of his pores!
Cyclingfever.com would like to congratulate you on receiving the UCI ProTour status from the UCI, the first race outside Europe to be granted that status. When that news reached you, that must have been a ‘shock to the system’?
“We planned to be a UCI ProTour race in 2009. Yet when we were in Italy in August 2007, we were asked if we could accommodate the UCI in organising the Tour Down Under as a UCI ProTour event in 2008. Now, we have nine years of experience in accommodating 14 teams in South Australia, so the 18 UCI ProTour teams plus one national team wouldn’t be much of a problem locally, so we’re very happy to oblige!
The biggest logistical problem is getting all the European teams on one plane to Australia. On the other hand we did have to increase security, fortunately the police department is happy to oblige. The Hilton Hotel in Adelaide has been very kind to put up all the teams during the race and the Tour Village had to be doubled in size due to the change.”
You are an Olympic gold medalist in the 4,000 metres team pursuit at Los Angeles in 1984, and an owner of a bike shop in Prospect, South Australia. It’s easy to see where the love for cycling comes from. But how do you get from that to being an organiser for the Tour Down Under?
 “Hahaha, well, my brother now manages the shop.
In my cycling days I actually rode in Holland for six months in 1978. Mostly in the north of Holland from Den Helder to Amsterdam and also in places like Warmenhuizen, Stiphout and Nijmegen. I of course rode the track in Alkmaar too. That’s how I got to know road racing, and crashing on the Dutch roads as well, so it’s not just track racing where I got my experience from.
After my active cycling career I visited some track races locally. They were always the same and bored me after a while. I started getting ideas on how to make things more interesting for the crowds. Then the Superdrome in Adelaide got built and I put in an application as a manager. There I started to organise track races and tournaments on a larger scale than before. Adelaide and South Australia have always been the centre of cycling in Australia and it didn’t take long before the idea for a road race came to see the light.”
How did that idea transform into an actual race, and was it hard to get all those cyclists from Europe to your race in the beginning, considering that they had to be on a plane for 24 hours?
“At that time a Melbourne to Adelaide race was suggested, but that would be a logistical nightmare. The point to point racing across some 800 kilometers and putting the teams and riders up along the way would’ve been difficult to organise from scratch. The Governor asked me what I would do. I told him it would be better to organise a race at the start of the season rather than at the end when all the riders are tired.
So Ron Webb, the track builder who’s now living in England, did a feasibility study on the possibility of organising a road race in South Australia. He basically came to the same conclusion after talking to a number of professional teams. After that positive report by Ron, we decided on the beginning of the seasonal calendar and keeping the race local, around Adelaide, the centre of Australian cycling.
That was the easiest way to accommodate all the teams and riders and let’s face it: Where would you go if asked to train in zero degrees with snow, like you have now in Europe, or train in perfect circumstances in South Australia? If you feel it’s a little hot, you just go out on the bike a little earlier! The hotels are great, the food is great and the weather is great, what more do you want?
About the travelling; you just need to unwind, grab a book or something and relax. We Aussies always sit on a plane for 24 hours and we’re used to it, so it’s no big deal as long as you relax and do nothing.”
The TDU has its UCI ProTour license now. But is the TDU 2008 ready for such an upgrade? I mean: Isn’t the current route through South Australia too light for the UCI ProTour level, as opposed to the first races in the 2005 – 2007 seasons [Paris – Nice and Tirreno – Adriatico]? Also the length of the stages leaves something to be desired for this level in cycling.
“That’s an easy one. Ask any rider: The riders make the race! It doesn’t really matter if the race is 120 or 160 kilometers, it’s equally difficult to win it. As a matter of fact, being the first race on the calendar it’s actually better to have slightly shorter stages. The riders love it, they love coming here and riding here Down Under!
By the same token, there are only two races in the world where riders aren’t preparing for another race, the Tour de France and the World Championships. Any other race is used to prepare for the next one and so on. It’s not like tennis or golf where you have to perform every time, and besides that; It’s also a team sport. Not all members of the team have to be in top shape at the same time. Some make it a goal, some are preparing for let’s say Paris – Nice or the Mediterranian Tour. So basically all races are used as preparation. The Tour Down Under is no different in that respect. Again, where would you prepare if you had the choice? Australia is ideal for training, good weather is guaranteed this time of year. The fact that the stages are 130 kms isn’t a problem at all.”
Obviously the upgrade to the ProTour means a lot to South Australia, the region. Apart from increased attention from media and sponsors for the event, what do you think are the other benefits for the region and country as a whole? Do you think Australian road cycling benefits from this increase of attention as well?
“When I was at the World Cup Track racing a few months ago, many people there told me they’d be going to the race in South Australia. We estimate that the number of people crossing the state lines will be around 10,000 to 15,000 at least this year, but that number could well increase now we’ve become a ProTour event. We’ve got some guests as well coming to Adelaide. For instance: Miguel Indurain [Five times winner Tour de France] and his family will be down, he loves it here and being able to walk down the street unbothered by pushy fans is a bliss, well, maybe one or two will recognise him, hahaha. That’s still not possible for him in Spain.
 We’re also very glad that Cadel Evans [4th in the Vuelta a España 2007, 2nd in the Tour de France 2007 and winner of the ProTour jersey 2007] will visit the race. We always knew he wouldn’t race this time round because of his exhausting schedule [Lombardy was his last race] last year, but we’re thrilled to have him visiting the race and the Legends Night. We already sold 750 tickets as opposed to 400 last year for that event. Basically all events around the Tour Down Under see a major increase of attention, just look at the media. Last year, we had 120 reporters at the race, this year we already have 200 and that number is still rising!
At the same time the local awareness of the race has increased immensely as well, it’s at an all time high! The youngsters see Cadel Evans who did very well over in Europe, but is also attending the Tour Down Under. They all know Robbie McEwen, winner of stages in the Tour de France, he’s won twelve stages down here as well, he’ll ride! Same goes for Stuart O’Grady who won a brilliant Paris – Roubaix in 2007, he’s here. Allan Davis, two time stage winner, actually rode all ten editions of our race when he starts. So all the big Australian names in cycling either ride or attend this race, they are the rolemodels for many youngsters, all present in Adelaide.”
The UCI ProTour status of the Tour Down Under causes an early awaking from hibernation by thousands of cyclingfans all over the world. Our normal season starts in the spring as you know. Lots of our readers haven't followed this race closely before and plan to stay up at night to see the race live. Especially those who are participating in our online cycling games. Do you have a tip about a dark horse in this edition?
 “Hahaha, I’m aware that we’re ruining your nights’ rest in Europe, yes. For us, that’s usually what we’re faced with when there’s racing on in Europe.
I wouldn’t really know about a tip but Stuart O’Grady is pretty keen to do well, and also Mark Renshaw is in good nick it seems. Of course Robbie McEwen is always a favorite on home ground. Sanchez [Luis Léon] is usually good as well here and has won this race before and so has Simon Gerrans.”
-How about Rojas: he’s an upcoming rider, well equipped for this type of race? - “Yeah, I heard he’s getting ready to be among the better sprinters, so he could also do very well here.”
Two years ago you had a heatwave and during the Willunga stage they had to spray the melting tarmac with garden hoses and sprinklers? The forecasts are talking about another hot week.
“It wasn’t that bad that the tarmac was melting though, that’s exaggerating it a bit. We did have a heatwave on in 2006, the hottest in 84 years I believe. The people along the track in Willunga sprayed water over the riders in order to keep them cool, and of course the road got wet in the process. The temperatures rose above the 40 degree mark, so it was indeed very hot.
Still, ‘our heat’ is different from the heat in France and Spain, it’s a dry heat. The humidity in those European countries tends to be higher, therefore the heat feels different, more heavy, from what we’re used to down here.
However, the weather is still probably the biggest opponent to the riders. It doesn’t matter how hard the riders go, the weather is the only factor we can’t influence. At the same time we can almost guarantee the riders perfect weather during the race.”
Finally, the TDU celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Have you got any idea where this race will be ten years from now? For instance, will it evolve into a larger tour through other states, like the Tour de France visits other countries? What are the plans for the future?
“No, we won’t make it any larger than it is right now. This space on the calendar, combined with our six day event is exactly right. The location is perfect, Adelaide in South Australia is the centre of cycling and it’s the place where it all happens. There’s no benefit in having 180 km stages or include a lot of very difficult climbs just because we’re a UCI ProTour event now. So in ten years we will probably doing exactly the same thing in the Tour Down Under, the character of the race suits the teams and riders perfectly. We therefore don’t need to change much as it is just right.”
Thanks again for your time, Mike. We expect to see a fantasticly organised race Down Under, and will follow the race closely!
“Thank you, no worries, mate!”
With special thanks to Koala
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United States /
17 February - 24 February