TDU 2020 STAGES 3 & 4: PRO CYCLING DRIP FED
Sometimes all you can catch of a professional bike race is 5 minutes. Here’s to making the most of it.
As convenient as Adelaide may be for hosting a professional cycling race, and/or spectating that professional cycling race, there are days in which you can only manage to catch a microcosm, a fleeting moment, a mere crumb of the rush of the professional bicycle race.
The days of stages 3 and 4 of the 2020 Tour Down Under were days just like that.
A lacklustre dinner the previous evening led to us awakening at our accomodation absolutely fanging for a decent breakfast, which turned into something of a pre-work congregation of Soup characters, eventually morphing into a well-after-you’re-supposed-to-be-at-work brunch vibe.
Yes, vibe. In the end 3 hours had been spent sitting around the one tiny table at Exchange, a loyal host of past Tour Down Under breakfasts.
I: REVEAL MAP
The race had started an hour or two prior as Adrian and Ali made their way through the inner eastern suburbs of Adelaide. Right now the race was making waves towards a finishing circuit in Paracombe, and this Class-A duo were doing the same, only towards a car shop in an industrial pocket of Glynde. When we arrived, cars were being worked on, and Galaktoboureko was being consumed to prime legs for the ripping ride up Norton Summit. It begs the question:
WHAT ARE SUITABLE ALTERNATIVES TO STARTING POINTS FOR A RIDE?
Cafés are popular ones, servo’s are also popular if time for pre-ride coffee has been allocated, but where do auto shops sit within this pyramid? Something that no doubt requires our full academic attention this year.
II: ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
As mentioned previously, the ride up Norton Summit was forecast to be “ripping”. This was partly down to the crew, partly down to the Galaktoboureko syrup coursing through veins, and the 40kmph tailwind that was blessing our backs.
As such, Strava PB’s were set throughout. Adrian’s remains a paltry near-18 minute effort, while Ali was half a minute up on his mere corners into the climb, finishing with a brand new benchmark.
While the tumbling time may have been expected somewhat, one thing that wasn’t was watching riders head up the road, no hands on bars, dropping others as if they were standing still.
III: TDU 2020 STAGE 3 FINISH LINE
Once we got to the top it was a case of hero turning villain as the wind began wreaking havoc on our ride across the ridgeline to the Corkscrew. Once we began descending the other side and into the gorge all was good again, riding closer and closer towards the helicopter noises giving us a sure sign the race was near.
Hitting the climb up to Paracombe we opted to pass up the 2nd edition of the Big Ring Challenge to the top, instead focusing our energy on getting as close to the KOM as we could. Even if it meant sneaking past the cops.
The cops were having none of it, perhaps because we didn’t share donuts, but we still managed to get 100m from the KOM, and 400m from the end of the stage. As we parked up the helicopter noises got louder, and was matched by the roaring and clapping of the crowd as a lone rider, none other than Richie Porte made a solo break for the finish line.
The rest of the race would trickle past over the next five minutes. As quickly as the race had arrived, it had wrapped up for the day in a flurry of beeping horns, cowbells, and the whirring sounds of Team Movistar’s wheels as they barrelled back down the hill towards you on their way back to the team hotel.
IV: TDU 2020 STAGE 4 START LINE
The next morning we found ourselves in a similar situation as the day before. It was mid-morning, we had pastries and coffees in hand, only this time the difference was the race was just a few metres away. We were on the Parade in Norwood, Stage 4 was about to kick off, and just as we finished up our coffees and croissants, Dave McKenzie bellowed over the mic that the race was only minutes away from rolling out.
In a split second the race flew past in a technicolour blur, with dolby digital wailing sirens as the soundtrack, disappearing into the hills and venturing beyond. It was another case of a few minutes of bike racing, only at the opposite end of the stage to the day before.
Over the course of the morning the pro’s would be heading to Murray Bridge for an afternoon tea finish. We would try to chase them down via Beulah Road…to absolutely no avail.
V: GAZPACHO RIDE
As it turns out, the race disappearing beyond our view would give birth to a new format of ride, simply and aptly named the Gazpacho Ride. Christened as such for it’s chilled, Soup nature it all began with step one: a cruise through the suburbs, followed by a long overdue climb up Montacute Rd to the Corkscrew.
Once at the Corkscrew it was a case of making it up as we went along. Next up on our chosen adventures, we ended up riding across to Pound Rd, now known as a glorious 2.3km descent that we are glad we accidentally sent Jonesy up a year or two ago.
Instead from the valley floor nestled in the Basket Range, we made our way up one of our absolute fav’s – Little Italy, stopping for operatic breaks to take in tunes from Pavarotti and Andrea Boccelli.
Want to learn about management? Of course you do. Fortunately for you the local residents of Basket Range have pre-prepared a wealth of knowledge in the form of a local sharing shed hosted in a local bus stop. Whether it’s complex management theory and practice, macroeconomics, or hell even the History of Surfing – head to the bus stop at the top of Little Italy and take the next step towards achieving Galaxy Brain status.
BERRY STOP
The next step in the method of this Gazpacho ride was an ascent of Basket Range Rd towards Uraidla. We were just a stonesthrow from the town where we found roadside berries worth foraging, delaying our arrival at the bakery for a little while. A combination of sweet and tart wild berries whet the appetite as we finished our descent back down into Uraidla for lunch.
BERRIES RIGHT SIDE OF RANGE RD vs BERRIES LEFT SIDE OF RANGE RD
The last step before things are ready for serving up is riding across Mount Lofty Scenic Drive. It allowed us to undulate our way to Norton, then descend back into the city. Incredible to think it had taken us 4 hours to ride not even 60km, but it was worth it, and gave us time to listen in on the post race interviews on the screen back in the Tour Village.