Carpark climbing a perfect mix for Tour Down Under’s new feature event

IT’S cycling’s latest competitive craze so there should be no surprise Carpark Climbing sold out within minutes of being offered as part of the 2017 Santos Tour Down Under.

Cyclists Shaun Cash and Adrienne Nicholls. Picture: Calum Robertson

IT’S cycling’s latest competitive craze so there should be no surprises Carpark Climbing sold out within minutes of being offered as part of the 2017 Santos Tour Down Under.

Rundle Place will host South Australia’s first carpark climb with 120 competitors from across the nation going head-to-head, against the clock, scaling 12 levels of the multi-story carpark in rapid time.

The sport, where two cyclists race up the carpark together, recording a personal time compared to all other competitors, will look to become an established feature of the TDU, one of the state’s premier international tourism events.

Shaun Cash, of Walkerville, an experienced national events amateur cyclist, heard about the climb via social media and was one of the first to sign up.

“This is such a different challenge but still requires all the cycling skills even though you’re basically going flat out uphill,” the 33-year-old father of a newborn baby said.

“It’s proving a spectacular spectator sport and I’m looking forward to a fantastic atmosphere.”

Practising for the event, first staged in Melbourne in March last year, is impractical with most carparks in constant use, but climbing the steepest sections of the Adelaide Hills has been a perfect preparation.

“Adelaide’s an ideal training place for cyclists with the flat and the Hills and all types of weather conditions,” Mr Cash added.

“I’ve prepared as best I can and I know it’s going to hurt on the way up but it’ll be really enjoyable when we finish.”

Partner Adrienne Nicholls, 32, is still recovering from the birth of baby Grace but will be “carpark”-side on Saturday, January 21 for the racing, from 6.30pm.

The event features a men’s and women’s race, with significant prizemoney on offer.

Andrew Gooding from VTWO, the marketing company that devised the Carpark Climb concept, said Rundle Place was the perfect place to showcase the unique event.

“There will be bars, food trucks and a DJ to really amp up the atmosphere – there will be such a great buzz in the carpark,” Mr Gooding said.

“Our first event in Melbourne immediately gained global notoriety and we really think the crowd will enjoy this first-time event experience.”

Originally published as Carpark climbing a perfect mix for Tour Down Under’s new feature event