As the peloton lines up for the 25th Santos Tour Down Under in Glenelg, South Australia, a growing chorus of professional cyclists is demanding an end to fossil fuel sponsorship in the sport. This call comes as competitors increasingly face dangerous, extreme heat conditions—a direct consequence of the climate crisis—while racing under the banner of a major oil and gas company.
The Unbearable Heat of Competition
For athletes like Australian Olympic cyclist Maeve Plouffe, preparing for races like the Tour Down Under has become a brutal battle against the elements. Plouffe recalls fainting from heat sickness after a training ride in Paris, a stark illustration of the physical toll. "Racing in extreme heat is like playing chicken with your environment," she says, describing the sensation as having her "whole body encapsulated in heat" with no relief.
To acclimatise, riders now undergo gruelling heat chamber training at the South Australian Sports Institute up to three times a week for a month before the event. Sessions last an hour in chambers heated to between 36C and 40C, simulating the punishing conditions they will face on the road from 16 January.
The 'Embarrassing' Sponsorship Contradiction
This reality is forcing an uncomfortable reckoning within the peloton regarding the race's long-term sponsor, Santos. The Australian oil and gas giant has held naming rights to the Tour Down Under since 2010 and renewed its contract until 2028 just last year.
National road champion Brodie Chapman states plainly that "it's certainly time that the Tour Down Under looks for a new sponsor" to align with modern values, the Australian public, and athletes. Former national champion Cyrus Monk goes further, labelling the sponsorship "embarrassing" for Australia's premier cycling event.
"Obviously the dream would be similar to the [Belgian] Renewi Tour, where the sponsor is a renewable energy company that is doing something better for the environment," Monk suggests. He challenges the assumption that finding an alternative sponsor would be difficult, noting a lack of transparency around the financial deal with Santos and contributions from the South Australian government.
Sport as a 'Rearguard Propaganda' Front
According to Matt Rendell, a former Tour de France commentator now working with the Badvertising campaign, cycling has become an "unexpected locus of this rearguard propaganda activity by the fossil fuel industry." He argues that the sport's green imagery and association with peak human performance in nature are precisely why fossil fuel companies seek to attach themselves to it.
"Cycling is cheap and the bicycle has impeccable environmental credentials," Rendell explains. The sponsorship also ties into complex local politics; Santos is the largest company headquartered in Adelaide, cementing the race's South Australian identity.
The Tour Down Under organisers have defended the partnership. A spokesperson praised Santos as a "valued naming rights partner" without whom they "would not be able to deliver a world class international bike race," citing the introduction of a women's WorldTour race with equal prize money. They echoed Santos's argument that its natural gas and carbon capture projects support South Australia's renewable energy transition.
However, this stance is undercut by analysis showing Santos's Moomba carbon capture and storage project captures just 4.6% of the company's total corporate emissions. Furthermore, Santos recently gained approval for its Barossa gas development, considered one of Australia's dirtiest gas projects.
As similar battles over sponsors like Total and Ineos play out in European cycling, the Tour Down Under represents a potent flashpoint. Riders like Maeve Plouffe, who holds degrees in law and marine biology, see the next three years of the Santos contract as a window for change. The race's future, they argue, must be pedalled away from fossil fuels and towards a more sustainable horizon.
