Australia’s Tour Down Under will become the first World Tour race to host men’s and women’s stages on the same course and day, over the same distance.

The 2027 season opener will feature a six-stage men’s race from 19 January, while the three-stage women’s event will open on 22 January.

The Adelaide-area event, which in 2018 became the first in the world to offer equal prize money for both sexes, previously held its women’s race prior to its men’s event.

“It’s a great platform to highlight the strength of our women’s peloton and the fact that we’re even able to do this reflects the growth and progression of women’s cycling,” said Tour Down Under assistant race director Carlee Taylor.

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

“The challenge we were given by UCI [Union Cycliste Internationale] was to deliver a more condensed program of racing and optimise the time the women’s teams spent in Australia,” said 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.”

The new schedule reduces the gap for women’s riders between the two early season events in Australia, with the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race typically staged in late January or early February.