Well! Sunday! It got here so quickly!!
We had a huge night on Saturday night / Sunday morning. We were always going to party on but…. these girls party like I’ve never seen! So althought not included in yesterday’s diary I need to point out that with much glamour, ridiculously and dangerously high heels the girls looked spectacular as they headed to the Old Lion to party. And party they did – till 2am which was when we were kicked out!
Gen – can dance, Gen did dance – all night long. Michelle and Kaz tried to keep up with her. Annie, Sue Kearns and Marcelle snuck off early (Party Poopers!) and the rest of us joined in with the MB Cycles group in time to keep the drinks flowing.

So… Sunday
7.00am rollout for a flat and easy windown ride to the beautiful beachside town of Glenelg for breakfast. Kaz didn’t ride with us but joined Princey and Sue K in the bus.
Yummy breakfast was had and a nice relaxing morning in the sun but the day was quickly warming up.
We headed back to Adelaide, through all the race traffic issues and had time to relax before heading to the park – which was conveniently 1 block (3 minutes walk) from our apartments to the crit circuit. We enjoyed a picnic in the shade of a huge tree while the boys raced by. Another 3 minutes walk in either directions through the park took us to a hot corner, full of action or up the park to the King of the Mountain climb. Couldn’t have been better. The park was set up with loud speakers calling the race commentary everywhere so it really was fabulous watching.

Totally happy that Greenedge have taken a win. Love the fact that Simon Gerrans won the Tour and can’t wait to do it again next year.

Home from the park – bikes are packed and loaded in the trailer, washing is happening and packing/tidying is under way. We took some time out for another trip to the pub for a game of pool and a fantastic dinner.
Everyone is off to the airport early in the morning and so we end the 2012 Tour Down Under.
Have absolutely loved it and thank you to everyone for their support, particpation and especially to my husband for his help and support through the week.

Saturday 21 January TDU Stage 5 McLaren Vale – Wilunga [SST Tour Adelaide-McLaren vale via Belair & Clarendon 50 Km]

It was a 6.30ish roll out from the apartments this morning to the base of the climb at Belair. Belair is in my opinion one of the best climbs out of the city with some wonderful views over the city from fairly early in the ascent. There are two climbs in total before the descent into Clarendon. The first up Belair is 3.8 km long and goes up about 750 ft or 230 metres [7.6% gradient] followed by a steep descent down Murrays Hill before climbing up Chandlers Hill to descend again into the main road to Clarendon.

Gen & Michelle, abandoned the tour this morning in favour of some shopping in the Hyde Park & Unley district. In their absence they were nominated to lead the ride to Glenelg on Sunday morning [and back home again I reckon too!!].

The bunch this morning consisted of Oliver, Jane, Annie, Kaz, Marcelle & Wazza. At the bottom of the hill Marcelle opted for a ride up in the bus with Sue K and Princey and when we stopped at Windy Point for a photo opportunity she was glad of that decision! It was blowing a gale! If we had launched a kite and tied the string to the van & trailer I’m sure they would have lifted off! We were worried about the effects of the wind on Jane, but she soon appeared at the top and was still smiling, although very hungry!

There were several other small groups of riders climbing Belair this morning and some pleasantries were exchanged with them on the way up. Our group all rode very strongly and it was really great to see how well they were climbing so late in the week. Annie was really flying, evidence of the two days spent resting her legs! Once at the top and reaching Blackwood we made a short stop at the Wild Bean Cafe [BP servo] for some sustenance. Annie then swapped the bike seat for a nice soft seat in the back of the van.

After descending Murrays Hill, and climbing again [#*!k] the highest point of the ride was reached at the junction of cherry garden road and main road. Marcel was then put out again for the descent to Clarendon, and Janey got in for a well earned rest. After a short stop for most welcome coffees at Clarendon Kaz joined the bus with the others leaving Sue and Wazza to have a good hit out after climbing out of Clarendon along the rolling hills to Kangarilla.

At Kangarilla everybody was back on the bikes for a fast ride to McLaren Flat and then on to McLaren Vale.

At McLaren Vale we found a good park for the bus & trailer and watched some of the riders sign on for stage 5 and be interviewed before the start at 11.10 am. There were people everywhere and as usual the lines for coffee were extremely long. One cafe had a sign advertising a 1 hour wait!

During the race a nice lunch was had at Magnums bistro and the staff recommended a nice wine to enjoy whilst watching the race unfold on the big screen TV. The tour riders today did 3 loops through McLaren Vale and Jane & Sue K managed to get some good shots of the riders coming round a tight bend onto the bottom end of the main street [No carnage!].

We even managed to find time to squeeze in a visit to www.robermenz.com.au [a rather large chocolate factory & emporium] for some samples and purchases. Another fantastic day!

Friday, 20th January
Bupa Challenge Ride – 138klm
We were up and about early, breakfast done, bottles ready, clothes packed and very quickly on our bikes for the roll to start the Bupa Challenge Ride. I was impressed. These girls are getting good at this bunch roll out stuff!
Annie wasn’t with us on the bikes today but she bravely got out of bed and came down to wave us off and Sue K was heading off on her big day out for a tour to Kangaroo Island.
After a very quick roll we had to leave Marcelle in the care of the ride organisers for her trip to her ride start in Mt Pleasant. Wishing her a great ride we rode on down to Norwood for our start. Not many people around being nice and early, we quickly deposited bags, grabbed a coffee and were ready to go. We snuck out a little before the official start time and it seemed that a whole lot of other riders had the same idea.
The ride started with about 10klms of flat road and then went uphill and I mean uphill – around a roundabout and immediately the signs for the 1st King of the Mountain for the day began. We let the group climb at their own speed and regrouped at the top. All together again, we wound through a beautiful valley, along through some farming country and into the aid station.
Refilled water bottles, yummy bananas and fruit cake, a quick toilet stop and we were on our way again. This time through more rolling countryside when became rolling hills and then big rolling hills. Sadly the bitumen wasn’t fast rolling and even though it was overcast and cool with minimal wind we were working for any pace we could get. With everyone chatting as we rolled along in a nice little pack the klms clicked away quite speedily.
We had a moment of drama as whilst a large bunch passing us on the right in a huge untidy rabble and without much consideration for space, Janey called from the back “Dickhead on the left!” and a lone idiot was attempting to pass our bunch on the left road shoulder at the same time as we were swamped by the riders to the right. Really was stupid – but Wazza followed him up the road and had a quiet word! Sorted!! And on we rolled…
Next stop everyone was good so we rolled right through and into Williamstown. The girls had a chuckle – knew this town. We had been here before at the bakery. Leaving Williamstown we began the scenic, fast and easy ride through the Barossa Valley- Jacobs Creek, Wolf Blass; all the familiar names. Through Angustown and back into rolling hills we were still chugging along – especially Gen – don’t know how many weetbix she had for breakfast but she managed to ride past me three times with great delight and with much chargrin I had to work really hard to reel her back in each time.
At Tununda, Princey, Michelle and Gen detoured slightly and Wazza, Janey, Kaz and I took a deep breath and headed back into the hills. 110klm done and the only way to the finish in Tununda from this point was over Menglers Hill. 3.8klm @ 7% and it was 36degrees C. Loved the climb – it kicks, flattens, actually descends for a few seconds and then kicks again. Grinding up to the last 1klm the hill manages to throw in the last 400m of nasty! But it’s done. Jane was quickly there with me, then Kaz with Wazza escorting her up and we were off rolling along again. Sadly, the hill isn’t really over at the KOM point – it still climbs a little but finally we were over the top, down the descent and passing other riders as we tapped it out for the last 10Klm to the finish.
Princey was there to escort us through the recovery area, the girls had a table in the shade and a cold coke and an even colder beer later we were “Chillin like Bob Dillan” in the park. A great days outing. We were loaded on the buses for the trip home to Adelaide, bikes into trucks and our day was done. Tired little vegemites but extremely pleased with our efforts!
We were so spoilt – they unloaded us and our bikes about 500m from our accommodation so we were home and showered. Completely awesome day and congratulations to Marcelle for her 80klm ride, and Gen, Annie, Michelle and Kaz for such fantastic riding.
Topped off the day with a fabulous meal at a glorious old pub and retired to bed to do it all again tomorrow. ?

Day Five: Tour Down Under Report – Thursday 19th by Sue Kearns

I was given the challenge of organising the McLaren Vale Mystery Tour which was planned for today.
With some help from pamphlets from the Info Centre the day was planned.
As this was a rest day there was no cycling this morning so a 9 am start was a change from previous days. All were relaxed and it was like being in a bus full of school kids with lots of chatter and laughter.
1st stop was obviously coffee with some chocolate on the side. All was going well until the café forgot Jane’s order. They felt her wrath. From coffee and chocolate we wandered up the main drag of McLaren Vale to “The Blessed Cheese” hoping for some free tasting, but whilst there was a great variety of cheese, no tasting.
We then headed to the Lavender Farm which was closed – oh well, can’t win them all.
Next stop on the tour was Chapel Hill Winery which was in a lovely setting. This was our 1st opportunity to sample the wines, whilst OK the wines at Rosemount Vineyard our next stop were fantastic. The wallets came out and we were all happy campers.
It was now time to put on the feedbag and a hearty lunch was enjoyed by all. Presentations were made for the winners of the time trial yesterday on Norton Summit with medals going to Gen, Karen and Michelle.
Time to squeeze in 1 more winery before heading home. Princey chose Wirra Wirra where we were taken on a short tour of the facility then it was time to head on home to prepare for the Bupa ride.
As we hit the main road back into Adelaide a couple of the Tour team cars were also heading back into town. The girls managed a wink and a smile from some of the cyclists to finish off another successful day.
As I write my report Wazza and Princey are making sure all of the bikes are ready for tomorrow’s Bupa ride. An early night will be had ready for a big day tomorrow.

DAY FOUR -NORTON SUMMIT TO STIRLING.

Today was time trial day, Norton’s Summit, a 7km, 4.9% gradient ride. As is the norm by now, we rolled out and headed for the hills of Adelaide, a nice “easy on Wednesday morning” pace.
At the base of Norton’s Summit a staggered start was organized and the time trial began. No surprises that Sue, Wazza, and Janey made it to the summit first followed by Gen, Kaz, myself and Annie. A little birdie told me that Janey set out to make Wazza work and Annie had a chat to a jogger on the way up that was running alongside her. Although it was a tough ride it was beautiful with magnificent views of Adelaide and the surrounding countryside, this could be appreciated on my part, as for the majority of the climb my Speedo did not go above 11km/hr.

After a quick stop at the summit and a photo opportunity we set out towards our next destination “Stirling” to watch the finish of day 2 of the TDU. don’t know what made me think that from here on in it would be all downhill. Silly of me really, delusiona! as two ranges later (The Basket and The Forest Range), rolling hills and steep climbs, speeds ranging from 7km/hr to 47km/hr, some of us were calling for Princey and the bus. Don’t get me wrong, the ride was glorious, with orchards of pears, plums and blueberries close enough to reach out and pick, beautiful homes and diverse architecture even a medieval castle called Camelot. It was a however a challenge for Annie ,Gen and myself so Wazza and Sue, being the kind coaches that they are, gave us a reprieve and we were allowed to board the bus and avoid the last climb into Stirling. “We were so happy!!!” The other 4 riders – Sue,Wazza,Janey and Kaz rode strongly into Stirling.
In Stirling we all regrouped and indulged in the fine food of the Organic Café, then onto watch the TDU cyclists as they rode into Stirling. It is hard to describe how it felt to see the Uni of Adelaide cyclist William Clarke lead the peloton by 10mins, we were part of history in the making.
From Stirling down into Hahndorf to shop in the little German village and then finally home on the bus. There was much laughter and the hills were alive with the sound of our singing (the Vontrapps paled into insignificance in comparison to the Southern Stars). Another great day on tour!
Michelle

Day 3: The Gorge
T’was the night before, all was tense, not silent ,as Annie, Michelle and I were nervously anticipating our ride through the Gorge. Room 27 was filled with delirium and lots of giggling as we shared our mental tools for doing hill climbs.
Michelle asks herself, “ What would Lance do?”
Annie focuses with “ I can do this!”
And I count pedal strokes to the top of the climb.. often getting lost..
We tossed and turned, and groaned when the alarm went off… It was a beautiful morning as we rode though the Adelaide streets towards the hills. There were hot gusty head winds, and there was no hiding behind Janey! Hmmpp.. wonder why? And I was cursing choosing to be behind her..
The bottom of the gorge was simply beautiful with the sounds of bubbling brooks, and the sun attempting to peep through the tree tops. It was incredible riding as the temperature suddenly dropped 10-15 degrees and the next patch would be hot and gusty.. The scenery was amazing..
Once we reached the bottom of the climb, it was every man (or women) for himself and we could climb at our own pace. It was a tough climb and we conquered the Gorge. I am very proud of how far Annie, Michelle and I have come! We kept passing each other and shouting encouraging words..
“You can do this!”, “What would Lance do!!” and “ what number are you up to Gen?”
From the gorge, it was rolling hills through the gorge. The last 3 km into Williamstown became, “ 3 laps of the Anz, then only 2 laps…” It was a huge sigh of relief to see Princey and the Bus.. A quick bakery stop, a change, then off to Prospect. There was a lot of hilarity in the back of the bus as Kaz attempted to make a shake and was wearing it by the end..
It was damn hot by the time we reached the start of Stage 1.. 39 degress in Adelaide with hot gusty dry winds… The atmosphere was electric.. It was fabulous being a part of this Tour Down Under..
Gen

Day two:
Today was our first scheduled no riding / tour down under tourist day.. Michelle and Wazza started the day with a swim at the Adelaide swimming centre whilst the rest of us chose to sleep in.> > We spent the day on an organised tour which took us all out to the little town of Mannum Where we enjoyed a relaxing trip down the Murray River on the cute little boat named “Jester”. We saw a number of birds (black swans, Kytes and snake birds), we got to feed some fish on the banks of the Murray river and we had a lovely lazy lunch onboard.

On the way back to Adelaide we stopped at a cheese shop and at Melba’s chocolates at the sleepy town of Woodside. We bagged a number of bargains and yummy goodies from chocolate coated coffee beans to garlic goats cheese (just ask Michelle how irresistible that cheese is). On the way back to Adelaide we were lucky enough to spot a number of koalas in the trees as we were driving past.

Later in the afternoon (after we had returned back to Adelaide) we spent the evening watching the criterion race in the city It was really exciting being so close to the riders as they wizzed past at speeds of 40+ km/hr.
In summary it was a day of many firsts.. It was the first scheduled day off the bike for our tour, it was the first day I had ever seen Sue with a hangover, it was the first day Princey didn’t need to drive the bus and it was the first day many of us had seen koalas in the wild.
Highlight of the day : the sleep in.
Lowlight of the day : when one of the passengers on the boat asked us if we were a masters / veterans cycling group. (do we seriously look that old?)
Marcelle

Sunday, 15th January
(by Annie)

At 4:40am (4:20am QLD time) we were all downstairs kitted up and ready to head to Unley Shopping Centre for the 107km “Ride Like Crazy” charity ride. We had a lovely cruisey 7km ride in the pitch dark to the start with Sue and Janey having the headlights at the front and Princey and Wazza with the taillights at the back. We rode through some lovely little streets with rows of dress shops much to the delight and excitement of Gen and Michelle so I know that I will definitely be visiting that area again with the girls for some shopping.
A block from the shopping centre a coffee van passed us so we didn’t need to worry Princey’s GPS anymore. Sue promptly just followed the van along and into the carpark to the racestart.
We were there nice and early so had heaps of time to get our wrist bands have coffee and some yummy fruit cake and bananas and sit around and chat and laugh. There were about 2000 riders doing the ride but some were only doing a lesser distance. Most had a “Ride Like Crazy” jersey on so we definitely stood out in the crowd with our gorgeous Southern Stars “Special TDU” kits on.
Eventually we were off, we were kangaroo hopping for a bit (Michelle was laughing that she was well practiced at this). We weren’t even 500m down the road and a guy comes up and rides beside us and starts chatting to Kaz. He was definitely keen to keep chatting to her and I was thinking we might’ve had an extra already for the whole ride but eventually he moved on. Way to go Kaz… She laughed saying she didn’t even have to put makeup on and get dressed up to attract the guys.
It wasn’t long before we started climbing, and climbing and climbing but the scenery was fantastic… Once we had done the worst of the climbing at the beginning of the ride, we then started riding through the beautiful countryside with fruit trees and a even a lettuce patch along the side of the road. It was beautiful. Sue and Janey were doing an awesome job of being our fearless leaders on the front and Wazza and Princey were also being champions looking after the strays that were falling off the back (that would be Gen and I). Poor Gen’s chain kept coming off but unfortunately I don’t actually have any excuse…
The rest stops were frequent and really well run. At one point I looked at my speedo and it said we’d only done 30kms. It felt like we’d ridden 70km cause of all the hill climbing (and it took about the time it would take to do a 70km ride too!!!!).
There were some very amused guys at the half way rest stop as Sue was yelling as we rode in saying that we had to be quick etc (can’t remember exactly what she said but you will have a good idea). Some guys thought this was hilarious that she was barking orders at us so when we were getting on our bikes to leave they were calling out to us and saying “come on get moving girls” “come on get moving” and waving us through as we rode off having a good laugh. It was pretty funny.
We still had hills to climb in the second half of the ride but it was predominately descending. As you have read Michelle was definitely our “Descending Queen”, she was flying down and loving it. The only problem with all this descending was that the scenery was amazing but I couldn’t really look as I was flying down the hill otherwise I would probably fall off.
One last note about the ride is that each day someone is going to get the “Gumbie of the Day” award which we didn’t know about until the end of the ride. Apparently I had won for today hands down when it took me about 7 attempts to clip in after we’d stopped at the top of a hill for a drink. I was having a moment… Of course Wazza and Sue were standing right beside me when it happened so there was no hiding it. But another “moment” was had by someone else as they were riding into the last rest stop which apparently beat my gumbie moment hands down. Now I won’t be mentioning any names or details for fear of the punishment that may be inflicted on me on the rest of the rides…
We eventually made it back to the finish and had yummy free sausage and steak sizzle (Princey loved this seeing he didn’t get steak the night before cause the pub ran out) and subway etc before heading back to our units.
Later in the afternoon we headed into town to watch the pros sign on and then the 51km / 30lap race. We all had a great time. Some of us were soaking up the atmosphere down near the track and others up on the balcony of the Stag Hotel having drinks and nibbles and Sueby was soaking up the yummy Adelaide Hills Sauv Blanc..
All in all a great day had by all!!!

Folks,

Well here we are in 2012!!

It seemed like it was a frantic rush up to Christmas and now it’s hard to believe that its been and gone and here we are already over a week into 2012!
And what a start to the new year it’s been!

The girls are very busy little beavers clocking up bike kilometers before they head off to Adelaide, SA for their Tour Down Under cycle tour. I’m so looking forward to the week of riding and the week of watching the best riders in the world riding around in the same countryside as we will be. The Tour Group are taking the opportunity of joining two community rides (one of 107 klm and the other of 138 klm). We are also balancing the serious riding days with some fun days – a Murrary River Cruise, a Winery Tour through the McLaren Vale area, some full on party nights and I’m sure we will find time for quality shopping and fine dining as well. There will be signatures to collect, memorabillia to score and a fabulous experience to enjoy.

Meanwhile, while we are away, the boys will be busting their buns at home here in Brisbane! Ironman training, which was already underway for Ironman Melbourne athletes, has now begun for Ironman Port Macquarie athletes. I think Brent and Pete are the only two not signed up for a Ironman experience this year but Brent is joining the boys for the tough sessions as he prepares for Mooloolaba. Pete – he’s just tough and loving the challenge.
So… train safe and train hard, boys. It will pay off on race day.

Wishing each and every one a happy and successful year for 2012.

Congratulations to all who completed the Swim/Bike/Run time trials this week. These trials are for your benefit and give you good feedback on where you are with your fitness levels. We have tried to make them a bit of fun and not just hard work.  The level of support given to each other is what “club” training is all about.

Occassionally someone does a PB or simply achieves a task they thought was beyond them.
Neither is more or less important than the other! As we each seek to achieve new goals each season, time trials are in integral part of
a successful training program and we will do plenty. 

For October our champions are ANDREA and ADRIAN and we congratulate them.

Be ready to challenge them for the title next time.
Wazaz