So I’m off to the Tour Down Under next week.
The TDU has been a yearly pilgrimage for many years. It’s long been one of my happiest places - almost a magical fairyland - and some of the absolute best days of my life have been at this event. Bike racing, good friends, club mates (and rivals), meeting random World Tour professionals in the street or at the cafe, fantastic food and a giant street party atmosphere… There’s even a canvas print from Norton Summit (Stage 4 of the 2018 TDU) on the wall in my apartment.
There are countless traditions regarding the TDU. The first ride (Adelaide CBD -> Greenhill Road -> Uraidla -> Hahndorf -> Stirling -> Crafers -> Adelaide CBD). A croque monsieur at the Adelaide Central Market. Mushroom salt. Roller Frenzy. Cheese sticks, cold meats and cheeses for breakfast. The Chateau. Casquettes. Norton Summit. Socks. Life in the Peloton. Bryton caps (don’t ask). Steak and shiraz. The best pub in Uraidla. Cheesecake. The worst pub in Uraidla. Blakeby’s Sweet Shop. Lying on beanbags watching Talking Tour. Adelaide Blanket. Haigh’s chocolates. The Mighty Black Stump. Nail & Gear hotstoppers. Charlesworth nuts. Snake Gully. Stopping at servo after servo for litres of Powerade. Mount Lofty. The Tour Village. Demo bikes. Hahndorf. Street crits. Coach Road. Car park climbs. Food trucks. Subaru bucket hats. Spotting “incognito” World Tour pros trying to sneak out of the village. The Adelaide Track League. The Parade at Norwood. Breakfast at the Flinders Street Project. Wheels in Motion.
As with most other aspects of life, this year it’s going to feel just a little bit different.
One of the differences is that this year, rather than flying, I’ll be road-tripping: just me in the hoonmobile with the cruise control on, the sunroof open, the obnoxious sound system turned up to eleven and a Canyon on the roof racks.
Yet another TDU tradition is the Spotify playlist. You can see previous years’ playlists on my Spotify profile. Traditionally, that’s been populated from 1) the previous year (prior to arriving in Adelaide); and 2) music playing in the Tour Village and start/finish areas throughout the event. This year, I’d like to crowdsource some additional suggestions as a way of virtually taking friends and family along with me. If you’re reading this post anywhere comments are supported, please leave a song/album suggestion in a comment - or just add to the Spotify playlist directly via this link. I’d really appreciate it if you’d consider taking the time to add even just one track. Troll me if you will, but please don’t trash anything that anyone else has added. Road tripping means that I’ll have two days of travel time each way, so there’s plenty of listening time.
I really would like to virtually take people along with me more than in previous years (see Happiness shared is happiness multiplied). I don’t know what I’ll be writing throughout but I do plan to journal more this year, and to also publish many more photos. You’ll be able to read whatever I write here plus on all the usual social channels, and see photos pretty much as they’re taken in my Tour Down Under 2025 gallery. Please come along on this part of the journey with me, my friends.