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.