American Marconi Wireless News - Women's Tour Down Under to run alongside men's race

In Europe, major races including Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and Tour de Suisse already host men's and women's events on the same day, but over different distances and routes.

"To have men's and women's stage racing on the same day and over the same course is an exciting new frontier for the event," said Tour Down Under assistant race director Carlee Taylor.

"It's also a great platform to highlight the strength of our women's peloton on a level we haven't seen before, and the fact that we're even able to do this reflects the growth and progression of women's cycling."

The event around Adelaide -- which in 2018 became the first in the world to offer equal prize money for women and men -- is set to open on January 19 with a six-stage men's race.

The women's WorldTour season will get underway with a three-stage race from January 22, with their peloton starting approximately 90 minutes after the men.

It will culminate on January 24 when both men's and women's champions are crowned.

Previously the women's race was run before the men, meaning riders faced a long gap before the second WorldTour event of the year in Australia -- the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

"The challenge we were given by (governing body) UCI was to deliver a more condensed program of racing and optimise the time the women's teams spent in Australia," said Tour Under Under race director Stuart O'Grady.

"We saw it as an opportunity to do something different and bring both men's and women's racing together and finish off with a bumper final weekend of racing."

O.M.Souza--AMWN