Thursday Rest Day in Adelaide

Today we took a break from the Tour Down Under and enjoyed a relaxing day in and around Adelaide. We began with breakfast at 8 a.m. and then left at 9 a.m. for a short ride west to the beach. The path was really delightful, winding along a river through central Adelaide and then the western suburbs. It finally reached the beach, where we turned south and rode down to Glenelg, where the nonriders were meeting us in the van. The water was cool and clear – beautiful shades of green and blue. We spent some time swimming and lazing in the sun, then rode back into town, this time eschewing the bike path for a pretty busy street that was more direct. Riding on the left now seems pretty normal, and with all the cyclists in town for the TDU (we are EVERYWHERE), I think the drivers are being extra courteous.

After cleaning up and having a very late lunch, we made a quick visit to the Museum of South Australia, where there was a really interesting and extensive exhibition of Aboriginal art and tools. Sounds dry, I know, but it was very, very well done, especially the tools. From there we took the free tram up to the "TDU Village," which is open every day after the stage ends. There were tents set up with all the major bike brands showing off their latest technology, so, of course, we spent a lot of time examining the new toys. Trek was showing some of their top-end models with wireless speed and cadence sensors built into the rear stay, both inside and outside, and I was most taken by that little detail.

There was lots of eye candy around. Many of the manufacturers had entire fleets of bikes there, and were offering the opportunity to take one out for a spin around Adelaide. We weren't in our riding gear, so we could only look longingly at those.

Just across from the Expo was the big tent where we had dinner last night. Inside were booths where team mechanics were cleaning up and adjusting the bikes after today's stage. There were also more sponsor booths in and around that. The number of hats, water bottles, jerseys, reflectors, bags, etc. etc. etc. that we've accumulated over the last few days is truly staggering.

Directly across from there is the Adelaide Hilton, which is the official TDU hotel, so we walked over there for a beer before dinner. The lobby bar was very lively, all cycling fans. We saw Michael Rogers sitting a couple of tables over, and some of the Saxo riders came in and lingered for a while. From there it was off to supper at Cos Restaurant, and all agreed it was one of the best meals so far. Heavy on meat for a change. Tomorrow is the Bupa Challenge, and we'll ride the last 102 km of the stage a few hours ahead of the riders. We have heard that anywhere from 6,000 to 9,000 riders will participate – all wearing the same jersey! – so it should be interesting. We have to leave the hotel at 5:00 a.m. in order to get there in time for the start, and then we'll hook up with the rest of the group at the finish in Tanunda.