Tasmania has a rich history in road racing and the Tour of Tasmania is the oldest tour in Australia. The Nortas Tour of Tasmania has an international ranking of 2.5 which makes it the number three ranked cycling Tour in Australia.
Through the generations, Tasmania has been at the forefront of road cycling, with the Tour a feature in the 1930's when such luminaries as Sir Hubert Opperman raced. In fact, "Oppy" won the first "Tassie Tour".
The tour re-emerged in 1954 as the Mercury Tour of Tasmania and went through to 1960. The race was contested by the greats of that time and was won by the legendary Russell Mockeridge and Peter Panton. The Examiner Tour also began in 1954 and was contested byt he leading amateur cyclists as the regulations of the day did not permit Amateurs and professionals to compete against each other.
The Examiner Tour continued until 1991 and in 1979 was progressive enough to become the first Pro-am race in Australia. That event was won by current Race Director John Trevorrow.
The revamped Tour of Tasmania was held in 1996. Tour de France star Stephen Hodge won the tour which was also a selection race for the Atlanta Olympic team. World Cup mountain bike champion Cadel Evans has dominated the past two events.
The Nortas Tour of Tasmania is the final of the three-event Skilled International Series, which started in Victoria earlier this year with the Skilled Bay Cycling Classic and the Skilled Melbourne-Sorrento Cup.
Full coverage of racing commences on Wednesday the 30th August when updated daily reports/photos/results from Tasmania will be available onsite
