Tag Archives: Tour Down under

Tour Down Under Week

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It’TDU pack1s Tour Down Under week! The annual Tour Down Under – Australia’s premier cycling event kicked off this week, with the first official stage winding its way through the through the recently blackened Adelaide Hills.

The Tour website has all of the details, including who’s competing when and where each stage is held and other entertainment at those venues.

You can also follow the tour on their official Facebook page, which is updated every 30 minutes!

TDU booksIf you’re feeling inspired to take up cycling, or maybe fix up your bike that’s been languishing in the shed, the library has a large collection of general cycling, and bicycle maintenance & repair books.

If you’re more of a spectator, we also have a range of resources on racing professionally on the world stage, as well as featuring famous and infamous cycling celebrities!

Tour Down Under – Bike art display

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In the lead up to tomorrow’s Santos Tour Down Under, Bupa stage 4 starting from Civic Park, local families decorated some donated old bikes during a very successful School Holiday program.

 

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The pictures tell it all, much fun was had kids and adults alike,  and the bikes are outside on display on the mound next to Civic Park today and tomorrow! If you plan on coming down for TDU, check out the kids’ work and also our cycling display in the Library foyer.

 

bike9smallThe TDU tomorrow starts with festivities from the crack of dawn at 5.30am, with the Bupa Challenge ride heading off at 6.30am. The official Tour leaves at 11.00am. It will be a great morning of entertainment and perfect weather on  Civic Park!

The Brian Gould challenge competition!

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If you check out our History of Cycling and Racing in the Gully display you’ll see a reprint of an old Messenger article about the Brian Gould Challenge.

Brian Gould smallIn the 1970s, in an attempt to demonstrate that the newly built Tea Tree Plaza was closer than it seemed, organisers had champion cyclist, Brian Gould ride his bike from various points around Adelaide. People were asked to guess how long it would take and won shopping vouchers for the closest time.

For the record it took Gould 34 minutes to get from Port Adelaide to Tea Tree Plaza; 24 minutes from Norwood; 33 minutes from Elizabeth and 17 minutes from Enfield.

We thought it would be fun to recreate the Brian Gould challenge, but using four of our regular commuter cyclists and their rides into the Civic Centre and asking the public to guess how long their combined commutes takes them.

  • Jon rides from Aldgate –  29km
  • Helen rides from Parkside –  19km
  • Alison rides from Banksia Park  –  4.5km
  • David rides from West Croydon – 15.5 km

TDU bikes foyer smallYou can win one of four $50 Standish Cycles vouchers by guessing the time it takes for our staff combined to complete the Brian Gould Challenge and placing your entry in the box in the foyer. The entry with the closest time to the overall time will win.

Come on down to check out our display, complete with historic and modern bikes and enter the competition!

Tour Down Under is coming!

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TDUSome of you, especially the cycling fans amongst us, will know that Tea Tree Gully is hosting one of the key stages of Tea Tree Gully next year. Cycling has a rich history in Tea Tree Gully, did you know that one of the first competitive races in South Australia ended at Modbury? Did you know that Tea Tree Plaza car park was the scene of organised races in the 1970s?

We are developing a display in the Library foyer in the lead up to the event based on the cycling history of the region called ‘Life with your bike’ – a collection of photographs of people who live, work or play in the City of Tea Tree Gully with their bike. Do you have a photo or yourself with your first bike? Or perhaps out with your family? Maybe you raced BMX in the 80’s? A short story to accompany your photo would be great! We will copy the images and return the originals to you.

If you can help with our display please email David our Local Historian.