adelaide, australia, garmin, garmin. sharp, News, sharp, tour down under - January 27, 2014

TDU: Be Safe Be Seen MAC Stage 6

Date: Sunday, January 25th—AUSTRALIA DAY
Stage: BE SAFE BE SEEN MAC Stage 6
Distance: 85.5km (18 x 4.75km circuit laps)

Start: Adelaide City, Council Street
Finish: Adelaide City, Council Street

Race Synopsis (according to the SANTOS World Tour Down Under 2014 Race Manual): “This stage falls on Australia Day and fans will be out in force to see the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under decided. A new city circuit has been created for the final day of racing, with the peloton to travel on city streets usually bustling with traffic. The atmosphere is sure to be electric as the pros battle for a win at the first UCI World Tour event of the year.”

Tour Down Under First Impressions: Australians are really good at managing sun exposure, from applying sun screen and wearing hats designed to block the sun, to simply finding shade (of all types and sizes; see below) and maximizing time spent in that shade.

Documentation Synopsis: Manual for Speed travelled the outside edge or perimeter of Rymill Park but did NOT follow the course when the course went beyond or outside the park area, due to the fact that there was shade in the park. Because parks have trees, and trees have shade, and outside of the park the course travelled through a nearly uninhabitable desert wasteland not too dissimilar from the types of geography and meteorological conditions associated with the movie Mad Max—if Mad Max had shot in an outdoor mall not unlike downtown Walnut Creek, California. See map for reference.

Dear Adelaide, Manual for Speed would like to sincerely thank you for Tubular Tommy (aka Fat Tony), Steve and Josh. And for all the other excellent citizens we met, befriended, and culturally exchanged with over the course of the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under. And (duh!) thank you for hosting the TDU in the first place. And for Corkscrew Road. And for the Akubra. And for the sunburn!

Dear the Rest of Australia (Melbourne! & Sydney!), Manual For Speed would like to sincerely thank you for all the new friends, as well as for all the subsequent experiences and support the result of having made new friends, which new friends live inside you.

Manual for Speed Next Tour Down Under To-Dos: