Tour Down Under 2015

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crazyman27

crazyman27

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Apr 15, 2007
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Adelaide
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Port Adelaide
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Adelaide is the place to be again in January if you ride a bike and/or are passionate about cycling. Tour base well underway in the revamped Victoria Square and a handful of pro riders already in town. I saw three Team Sky guys coming down the Old Freeway this morning and saw a lone BMC rider in the city yesterday.

Anybody coming over from interstate? If you're considering it I would definitely recommend you do it. The race has been growing rapidly over the last few years and this year will be massive I reckon with Cadel's last World Tour Race. Beauty of the race is every stage is easily accessible from the city and each stage takes in some of the best roads in the State.

Willunga Hill is the closest you will get to the atmosphere of the European climbs in the southern hemisphere:

 
Hehe ... I'm in that video at about the 1 min mark.

Coming across again, looking forward to it. Stages 1 and 3 both go through the area effected by fires. Any word on whether there will be any route changes?
 
AG2R sending a strong team, may just be a training ride for them but. I read its a flatter course this year, is this right? Remember after last year Turtur said there would be a surprise with the route this year, I've looked and I can't see what he was on about.
 

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Saladin sucks said:
Hehe ... I'm in that video at about the 1 min mark.

Coming across again, looking forward to it. Stages 1 and 3 both go through the area effected by fires. Any word on whether there will be any route changes?
Click to expand...

Hopefully the rain forecast for Friday/Saturday helps put the fire out for good. Then I guess the only issue is falling trees and damaged road infrastructure. I'm sure the local communities would still want the race to come through.

grouse mate said:
AG2R sending a strong team, may just be a training ride for them but. I read its a flatter course this year, is this right? Remember after last year Turtur said there would be a surprise with the route this year, I've looked and I can't see what he was on about.
Click to expand...

A few new roads and climbs this year. Stage three finishes up Torrens Hill Road which is 1.2km at 9% (http://app.strava.com/segments/635677). Stage two has the traditional Stirling loop finish but the first part of the stage is pretty brutal. Starts by climbing Windy Point onto Upper Sturt Road then goes through the 'northern' Adelaide Hills (Piccadilly, Forest Range, Lenswood etc.) where there are no flat roads.
 
crazyman27 said:
Hopefully the rain forecast for Friday/Saturday helps put the fire out for good. Then I guess the only issue is falling trees and damaged road infrastructure. I'm sure the local communities would still want the race to come through.



A few new roads and climbs this year. Stage three finishes up Torrens Hill Road which is 1.2km at 9% (http://app.strava.com/segments/635677). Stage two has the traditional Stirling loop finish but the first part of the stage is pretty brutal. Starts by climbing Windy Point onto Upper Sturt Road then goes through the 'northern' Adelaide Hills (Piccadilly, Forest Range, Lenswood etc.) where there are no flat roads.
Click to expand...

Stage 2 is the best stage i have seen in the TDU on paper. I ride alot and this stage will be awesome. Belair Road and Sheoak through Picadilly, Basket Range, Swamp Road, loops through Balhannah and the finish through stirling.... lots of uphill there.

Torrens Hil is the surprise. Thats a tough little Hill. They will fly into that and i suspect a wananbe winner will take this stage. This hill is perfect for someone like Geraint Thomas i reckon !!

One thing is for sure, my mate will lose his KOM on this stage here !!
 
I'm interested in any advice from Arsene or Crazy on where you think the best spots to watch each stage 1 to 4 will be (5 and 6 are pretty obvious). I'm staying near Vista in lower Adelaide Hills. I'll have my car with bike on back so I can move around fairly easily and park and ride from where there are any road closures or if parking/traffic becomes too congested. I just need a plan.

I'm not interested in starts or crowded sprint finishes, prefer to see climbs later in the stages where moves start to happen. I don't mind chasing the race and moving to different locations to see riders multiple times.
 
Saladin sucks said:
I'm interested in any advice from Arsene or Crazy on where you think the best spots to watch each stage 1 to 4 will be (5 and 6 are pretty obvious). I'm staying near Vista in lower Adelaide Hills. I'll have my car with bike on back so I can move around fairly easily and park and ride from where there are any road closures or if parking/traffic becomes too congested. I just need a plan.

I'm not interested in starts or crowded sprint finishes, prefer to see climbs later in the stages where moves start to happen. I don't mind chasing the race and moving to different locations to see riders multiple times.
Click to expand...

For Stage 2, the first climb up Windy Point (Belair Road) would be good to see as there are a couple of hair-pins and this is probably where a break will form. The KOM at Basket Range would also be good viewing as it is quite a steep climb (seriously beautiful and good to ride part of the world as well). Would say a lot of people would be parking along Deviation Road and riding down.

From there it's fairly flat until the finishing loop where the best spots would be along Strathalbyn Road/Mt Barker Road as it is mainly uphill from Mylor to just before Aldgate where there is a fast downhill (often crashes at the roundabout in Aldgate) then an uphill drag from Aldgate to the finish in Stirling. Genuine uphill finish where the attacks will come early and anywhere along the last 1-2kms is usually good to watch.
 
Saladin sucks said:
Thanks Crazy. Here is a TDU ride guide from an Adelaide coffee business - Red Berry Espresso

https://www.dropbox.com/s/df609mwl0uiygjn/TDU Schedule 2015.pdf?dl=0
Click to expand...
Yep - pretty good calls from Crazy. We usually have a fair group of the dudes I ride with who take the week off. Some, like me, use this week also to get some big kms in to help in the three peaks prep.

So stage 1, we are riding out to Barossa to watch the first sprint of lap 1 out there. Then we will head back and perch ourselves atop Checkers Hill (they actually come up the other way this year - which is still tough), https://www.strava.com/segments/688727 (thats me in 10th overll :) - shameless self promotion). Thereafter you wont be able to beat them back to town. So two good spots to see them.

Stage 2 - you could head out on a good ride in the Hills, and for me I think the climb up to Basket range is the spot to watch. Its a beautiful climb (hard too). Crazy is right that up Belair past Windy Point is a good spot, but its so early in the race. The again, you will see guys attacking a forming the break up here and through Sheoak road (which has a 20% section for about 400m).

From wherever you stop first, i would then head to Verdun to watch the sprint there, before heading into Aldgate/Stirling and picking a spot near the finish. The best stage finish town by far.

Stage 3- I would out to Lobethal and watch a lap there before cutting back to Lenswood, but would definitely get back to Torrens Hill Rd in plenty of time to get a spot for the hilltop finish. Be aware the cops may shut the turn off for the climb at least an hour before they are due there. I learnt this the hard way on Corkscrew last year.

Stage 4 - I am doing Bupa - i would recommend it. For me it will be a good 200+ km training day. Otherwise i would simply go and watch the start or somewhere near the southern expressway and then just make your way to Mt Barker for the finish.
 
Arsene Wenger said:
The again, you will see guys attacking a forming the break up here and through Sheoak road (which has a 20% section for about 400m).
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the stage doesn't head up Sheoak Rd to the actual climb (heads down past Belair National Park instead). Would be interesting if it did because that section is one of the hardest bits of road around Adelaide (would probably be some pissed off sprinters..).
 
crazyman27 said:
Unfortunately the stage doesn't head up Sheoak Rd to the actual climb (heads down past Belair National Park instead). Would be interesting if it did because that section is one of the hardest bits of road around Adelaide (would probably be some pissed off sprinters..).
Click to expand...
my bad - i thought it went up Sheoak. Upper Sturt aint easy though either....
 
crazyman27 said:
Yea interesting choice Upper Sturt Road. I've never actually ridden it due to traffic and it has an awful surface in parts particularly towards the top.
Click to expand...
pretty unrelenting for the average punter. Closed roads will make it better for them, but you are right, the surface is poor in some areas.

It will also be beautiful watching them sweep through picadilly on that stage.
 

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I hope channel 9 lift there game with their coverage...
 
Download the app people it awesome, there is even an app with a cowbell that Santos have made!
 
Getting the BBQ ready now. The action passes right by my house, as it's done on other TDUs. Been quite a steady parade of riders up Gorge Rd all morning. Really perfect day for it with the cooler temps and overcast skies.
 
I hadn't noticed much action due to the 400 ads being shown so far. Why did they bring in Sherwin? He's hopeless, should of stuck with Keenan, the nationals coverage last sunday was a lot better than this.
 
Peloton missed it by "that" much.

Pretty good finish, didn't think they'd hang on until the last little bit but it was Goode I see that all four came across ahead of the peloton.
 
Pretty average stage today. Movistar where like seagulls and swooped on everyone else's hard work.
 


Big stack. Narrow finishing straight may have played a part. Riders would have been up around 70km/hr with the downhill finish.

Importantly another Aussie stage winner.
 
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