A sweltering Tour Down Under

I was so looking forward to this year's Tour Down Under. I was initiated into the world of cycling last year when I strolled into Victor Harbor to watch Stage 3 as the riders did three laps of the town in pleasant mid-twenties temperatures under a cloudless blue sky. It was a great day and I have been a convert ever since, following all the European Classics and Grand Tours on TV (while Steve remains steadfastly indifferent to the lure of the races with their tactics, the riders' incredible reserves of physicality and the gorgeous scenery).

But what a contrast was last year to this year's stage. The temperature was already hovering at the 38 degree mark as the riders left Adelaide in the morning. Wisely, the organisers decided to cut two laps of Victor bringing the race to 120 kms. Sadly for us locals, we were only to glimpse the riders twice as they whizzed past.

The upside was that daughter Kate and her husband Kim were in town. However, as determined as we were to cheer on the riders, we too succumbed to the treacherous heat.  Somehow (with a few bottles of water under our belt) we managed to last the distance until after the presentations.

The town was suitably decorated  (I love these racing kangaroos) and even forced poor Kate to pose with one.

We first needed to find a good place to position ourselves for when the riders came to town. It was a rather forlorn welcome for them as there were NO spectators save a few foolhardy people like us (whereas last year the crowds had lined all the streets 4-deep). But the bridge and nearby trees were decorated with colourful bows!!!!

We walked ...

We sat...

...we stood.

Finally, some action: the forerunner  to the race is the 'caravan' of sponsor cars which is always good fun to see.

 And then the police....

 and the helicopter hovering to alert us to the riders' approach...

... and here they come. I am now beside myself with excitement. They are certainly burning up the road. They have already ridden around 100kms in 40 degree heat, yet they look determined and professionally 'cool'.

And, just like that, in the blink of an eye, they have turned the corner and disappeared.

We followed the route to the finish line to try and position us as close to the barrier as we could for when they re-appeared for the final sprint, though with Kim's height of 6'7" he was not unduly worried. We figured the riders would reappear from their lap of the town and environs in about 15 minutes.

The commentators kept us informed and soon we were scanning the road for a sign of the riders.

 I decided to put my camera away and enjoy the finish. So no photos from me. World champion Peter Sagan raced right past me at around 70 kph and it didn't register. They whizz past so quickly before you even feel their presence. But Kim managed to effortlessly video the whole of the sprint finish from his phone, even panning to show the riders as they sped over the finish line - the dirty rat!!!!

We gave support to those at the back of the race as just finishing on a day like today was a feat in itself.

 And Kate hammered on the barrier as is the custom.

We had to wait a while for the presentations to give the winners a chance to cool down - while we were getting hotter and hotter as we stood in the open with the sun pouring down on us. Were we mad?

But it felt good to join the cheers as the winners received their trophy, a bunch of flowers and a toy koala! Here Italian Elia Viviani receives his bounty as today's first-over-the-line winner.

South African Nicholas Dlamini won a sprint AND a mountain climb.

Living legend Jens Voigt was a presenter. He is a hero for Kim who has even named his cat Jens.

Australian Caleb Ewan was a popular winner in the General Classification category.
 

We limped back to the car and collapsed in air-conditioned comfort back home. A fabulous though devilishly hot adventure. Later, we saw film of some of the riders jumping into the bay after the race for a well-deserved cooling off.