CCC team riders visiting Australia on the Tour Down Under visited the wildfire-ravaged Adelaide Hills on Tuesday to see that local residents were ready to welcome the race, whose second stage starts in Woodside.

Simon Geschke, Joey Roskov, Fran Ventoso, Lukasz Wisinowski, Simon Sajinok, and Josef Cerny rode through areas damaged by the wildfires and spent time with locals preparing banners to welcome the race to Woodside.

"Every January, the hillside towns of Adelaide come out to support the Tour Down Under. It is sobering to have the opportunity to show our support for those who have lost loved ones, homes, businesses and land to the bushfires currently raging across Australia," the CCC team said via social media.

"We want to offer our condolences to all those affected by the wildfires and express our support and gratitude to the firefighters, first responders, and volunteers who are working tirelessly to protect our country."

The Bush Fire has devastated vast areas of Australia, with harrowing footage of volunteer firefighters battling the blaze and koalas and kangaroos trying to escape the flames.

Flames have swept through mountainous and coastal areas of southeastern Australia, engulfing Sydney and other parts of the country in smoke. While the Adelaide area has been hit by major fires, the largest fire seen on television around the world is hundreds of miles from Adelaide, where winds have blown the smoke eastward from the city and the area where the race is being held.

Race officials confirmed that they are working closely with authorities to monitor fire hazards, air quality, and other safety issues affected by local fires. However, the Adelaide Hills region is eager to show that it is ready to host the Tour Down Under despite the recent damage.

"We are in discussions with the Adelaide Hills Council and the Adelaide Hills Council is committed to the Santos Tour Down Under running through the region," Tour Down Under officials said in a statement.15]

"The Council and DPTI (South Australia State Planning Department are working hard to ensure the route is safe so that the men's and women's races can take place as scheduled."

"The Tour Down Under will be held in the same area as the Tour Down Under.

Adelaide will host the women's World Tour opener on January 16-19 and the men's race on January 21-26.

"It's great to have the races here. It's always a great event here," Geschke said.

"We hope we can bring more awareness and help impact it in a positive way," Roskopf said.

"It's great to have the community support the race.

"It's wild to see it stop just a few blocks from town and see the firefighters able to control and protect the town.