The Coffee Ride: Kiwi cyclist George Bennett puts best foot forward at Tour Down Under, and where is Mike Tomalaris?
GET your Coffee Ride fix every day during the Tour Down Under as Reece Homfray and Val Migliaccio find the best of what’s brewing behind the scenes.
Tour Down Under
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GET your Coffee Ride fix every day during the Tour Down Under as Reece Homfray and Val Migliaccio find the best of what’s brewing behind the scenes.
NICE SHOES
KIWI rider George Bennett doesn’t have to look too far to make his vision a reality when it comes to new cycling shoes.
Bennett is wearing new kicks at this year’s Tour Down Under which have been designed by his girlfriend Caitlin Fielder who works in fine arts.
“I had a couple of other sets she did which included a lot of culture from New Zealand and you can tell your story through that,” Bennett said.
“I’ve got a new pair on the way with my musical interests and it’s the last place you can express yourself on a kit that is otherwise exactly the same as everyone else, and it’s good for morale to look down and see something good.”
WHERE’S TOMO?
SBS’s polished cycling commentator Mike Tomalaris and his crew are sadly absent from this year’s 20th edition of the Tour Down Under.
Tomo was there with SBS TV when no other TV stations wanted to cover the event in its first year in 1999 and has only missed one other year before this.
SBS - the home of Cycling Central on the internet - lost the TDU broadcast rights four years ago but he continued to come in a reporting capacity until this year.
“But I’m still hosting the Tour de France and the spring classics in Europe this year,” he said.
“I’m disappointed not to cover the TDU for just the second time in 20 editions, I love the event and the fact the people of Adelaide have terrific knowledge for cycling.”
MIRACLE ESCAPE
FOR those wondering how many bones Norwegian rider Daniel Hoelgaard broke in his frightening high-speed crash into Lyndoch on Tuesday, the answer is zero.
Somehow the FDJ rider managed to escape relatively unscathed after smashing into the barriers and the bitumen at 75km/h on Stage 1.
He went to hospital for precautionary x-rays which were clear. However, he was treated for nasty cuts on his upper body. He is the second rider to crash out of the TDU after Team Sky’s Kristoffer Halvorsen broke his hand in the People’s Choice Classic.
Thanks for all the messages. I am Ok considering the crash. Will have a small surgery today, and hopefully leave the hospital tomorrow
— Daniel Hoelgaard (@DanielHoelgaard) 16 January 2018
WHAT THE
AS if learning the lingo of professional cycling wasn’t confusing enough, one SA police officer on the race had to ask a colleague about an entirely different matter yesterday.
Standing at the stage start in Unley, he noticed a sign on King William Road and said ‘And what is eyebrow threading?’. We’ll give you a hint - it has more to do with cycling than you might think.
FIFA AND COFFEE
WE’VE got the inside word on Andre Greipel’s preparation to win Stage 1 on Tuesday.
The two-time TDU champ soothed his pre-race nerves on Monday night playing FIFA 18 – a soccer video game - complete with coffee and chocolates. The German also showed he is just as comfortable behind the camera by hosting a Q&A with his Lotto-Soudal teammate on the morning of the race.
Andre Greipel not happy with Marcel Sieberg's snoring 😴😴😴 @Lotto_Soudal pic.twitter.com/tUVMz8WVqU
— Reece Homfray (@reecehomfray) 16 January 2018
Originally published as The Coffee Ride: Kiwi cyclist George Bennett puts best foot forward at Tour Down Under, and where is Mike Tomalaris?