The Santos Festival of Cycling will be the first time we see stages rolling out of iconic South Australian locations such as wineries.

And what better way to kick the trend off than with Seppeltsfield – framed by a stunning vineyard backdrop?

The stage will see both men’s and women’s riders tackling Mengler Hill – in reverse!

Men’s race director Stuart O’Grady says he didn’t want it to be a breaking point for the riders on the first stage, “taking away the steepness of the Western side with a much easier Eastern side climb.”

This will give the punchy riders a small chance to attack on the final of four ascents but with a super-fast downhill and run into Tanunda, but it will be tough to hold off a fast peloton.

Women’s race director Kimberley Conte says of the “cat 3” climb – “[it] isn’t so difficult that it will take riders out of contention, but don’t underestimate the sting it may have on day one.”

Punters can expect a bunch scamper for the line at Faith Lutheran College.

As part of the Festival’s COVID Management plan, you will be able to gain access to the start and finish line at Ziptrak Stage 1 by simply scanning the QR code using your smart phone when you arrive.

While there is limited capacity at start and finish lines, there are many wonderful vantage points and alternate locations on the routes to enjoy the race in a COVID-safe and socially distanced way. We will providing a list of these vantage points soon.