Tour de Cure

By all reports the Tour de Cure stopover in Coffs went off very well. A few Firsts for Coffs in the name of cycling, with Harbour Drive being closed for the Criterium demos, and a cocktail party on on the jetty. Sounds like the Pet Porpoise Pool was also a hit, and all the riders were gobsmacked by the Bruxner Park/Central Bucca road part of their ride into town.

April must have been in the City Centre to watch the criterium because she sent in this photo of the Tour de Cure bikes! (In that part of the City Centre square which now reads "No bike riding" as opposed to "No bikes"!!)

(April, or anyone care to fill us in on how it all went from a spectator's point of view??)

You can also read about their Coffs experiences on the Tour de Cure blog:

http://tourdecureaustralia.blogspot.com/2007/06/tour-de-cure-day-4-elle-bache-leads.html
and
http://tourdecureaustralia.blogspot.com/2007/06/day-5our-longest-day.html

On the Friday morning a dozen or so of the regular Saturday Community Riders took up the invitation to ride down to Sawtell to meet up with the Tour de Cure riders at the surf club cafe. Of the BUG members, John, Ian, Marc & Tracey (in tandem mode), .... (was there anyone else?) used it as a good excuse for a morning ride and breakfast and coffee. Somehow or other Tracey (on the back of the tandem) found herself signing waiver forms, and agreeing to riding 'a bit of the way' out of town with the Tour. It was, in fact, an interesting experience riding at the back of the Tour de Cure pelaton - giving us an insight into the pace of their ride, and the traffic conditions!

We peeled off at Urunga (leaving Graham and Brian accompanying them for a 'bit of a ride' to Valla before they intended turning around), and enjoyed our ride back off the highway through Raleigh, and then back through the dreaded roadworks to Bonville (not so bad due to the 80kph limit!) and then back onto familiar territory once we joined the cycle path at Lyons Road.

Tracey S.

'Tour de Cure' in Coffs

Ian Hogbin is riding in the Tour De Cure Charity Bike ride from 28 May, and they come through Coffs on the 31st May, leaving 1st June.

They are putting a lot of work into making the time in Coffs really memorable, and in turn promoting the charity support groups and Cycling, so keep the times free if you can.

On Thursday 31 May, the plan is to have Criterium demonstrations in City Centre at lunch time, a Special show at the Porpoise Pool at 3.30, and a cocktail party on the Jetty at night.

Then on Friday 1 June, a ride from Coffs 7am to breakfast at Sawtell to join in with the Tour De Cure riders, as that group then heads south to Sydney.

The riders will leave Sawtell at 8.30 for Port Macquarie, allowing the Community Riders to get back to Coffs around 9am.

www.tourdecure.com.au