Tour Down Under

The lead group chasing down a short breakaway after the final climb up Willunga Hill.


View from the Top of Crows Nest Road KOM, looking towards Goolwa. It was outrageously windy on this Stage.


Stage 3: the riders spread out as they climb to the top of Crows Nest Road KOM




Stage 3: Lance at the top of Crows Nest Road KOM


Stage 3 Going down Brookmans Rd, Kuitpo.

Robbie McEwan after winning the Cancer Council Classic

Stage 2
34: Oliver Kaisen, 74: Guillaume Blot and 176: Wil Walker try to hang on around Bradbury.

Hot in the city

Adelaide is going through a heatwave, with the temperature sitting above 40 degrees Celsius for the past five days and the forecast to stay this way for a while. "Relief" is predicted in seven days with a drop to 35 C by next Friday.

Tuesday was a scorching 45 C with the overnight temp remaining above 30 C so the power grid is taking a hammering as everyone cranks the aircon. With rolling power cuts the other day, Joe public is a bit peeved at the incompetence of the power companies and Government. The problem lies with us (South Australia) sharing the power grid with Victoria and the interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria failing. Victoria also had a few +40 C days so the drain on the system was too much.

On to other things, I have replaced one of my thornproof tubes on the commuting beast with a Huchinson Protect'air tube. It has some preventive liquidthat is supposed to plug the air leaks as they appear. I'll be interested to see how it goes.

I've been following the Tour Down Under so I'll get some pics of that up soon.

cheers

Asian Champions League semi-final

Great result for Adelaide United V Kuruvchi Bunyodkor in the first leg of the Asian Champions league semi-final tonight at Hindmarsh Stadium.

A sell out crowd saw United hit three second half goals after a cagey first 45 minutes. Diego, Barbiero and Cristiano put three past the visitors, who had star recruit Rivaldo.

Adelaide's own Brasilian import, Cassio, had a hand in all three goals, setting up fellow Brasilian Diego and Barbiero before being brought down in the box. Adelaide' third Brasilian import, Cristiano then sent the Kuruvchi keeper the wrong way to score the penalty in the 89th minute to put the result beyond doubt.

I am looking forward to the return leg and hoping United can advance to the final, which would be an epic achievment for our local team.

What to do?

This week end was the first Saturday that the Hahndorf Magpies had no game since about March. My partner was happy about that, she has a list of things that need doing around the house.
She (and others I've heard) likes to make lists for jobs and then keeps adding to them so you never get to the end. Is this a payback for childbirth? or just for enjoying all those Saturdays on the soccer pitch.

Anyway, I did a few jobs, mowed the lawn, tidied up the house and we all went out to Onkaparinga River National Park ,which is just up the road. We went on the Sundews ridge walk then down to the river itself on the Sundews river track and then back to the car park. The area had a fire go through it a couple of years ago so there is lots of regrowth and the feral olives have disappeared on one side of the Gorge.





From the ridge to the river was very steep and the girls did very well to get down and up without many dramas. My youngest daughter will be three in December so she spent a good deal of time being carried or piggybacked.


The girls had a splash in the river



and we saw some kangaroos

We were gone for about two and a half hours, with many rests on the way up from the river.
The girls did really well and generally enjoyed thenselves, although there were moments of "are we there yet?" and "I'm tired, can you carry me?".

All in all though, a good afternoon in the outdoors.

Next week we are having a long weekend and spending a few days in Coobowie on Yorke Peninsula.

Sunday ride around the Southern Vales

Whoo Hoo! Second post in over a year.

Well, I went for a bit of a ride through my local hills this morning, not only 'cos it's great scenery and makes me feel good but I need to get some kms in before the Tour Down Under Community Challenge.

Rode up Chandlers Hill, down through Clarendon, on to Kangarilla and along the Kangarilla road to Wickhams Hill road. Nearly got taken out by a camel, well a F150 towing a trailer with a camel in it. I could almost smell the camels last meal as it sailed past at speed on its way to the local camel farm.

Took a few snaps along the Range road before descending into the Vales via Penny's Hill road. I saw more than a few houses and properties I wouldn't mind residing in as I rode. Going back through Kangarilla I got a helping hand home from the local cycling vets club racers, hooking up with a small group for a few kms.

Looking over the Southern Vales from The Range

This may have been my camel friend.

Finished off doing about 70km and back at home by 10am.

We'll see how next weeks ride goes.