TDU a warm escape for international cyclists, writes Penelope Debelle

"MY town now is in the middle of snow so it's good to be here,'' says Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, winner of the 2010 Tour de France.

"MY town now is in the middle of snow so it's good to be here,'' says Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, winner of the 2010 Tour de France.

This is why the Santos Tour Down Under is such a hit with the international cyclists.

Professional riders from France, Italy, Belgium and Germany who can barely ride at home for ice and sleet can flex their racing muscles under the Australian sun at the start of another pro year.

Schleck minutes later is photographed holding a joey. When he hands it back, a French camera operator, one of the fearless "TV Motos'' who film from motorbikes, takes his turn.

"I am French and I am not used to seeing joeys,'' says Patrice Diallo from Grasse, near the Italian border.

Diallo, who has done 20 Tours de France, is on his fifteenth visit to Adelaide; he has been part of the Tour Down Under since it began.

"At the beginning (before it was on the professional tour) it was really fun,'' he says. "Now it is a bit more serious but still very good. Everybody knows everybody.''

There is something kamikaze about the cyclists themselves. Before the race starts they quietly apply sunscreen and make final adjustments to their bikes.

Once the flag falls, they give everything for three to four hours, working as teams to position their top rider for the run to the finish line.

During sprint legs like the massive downhill run after Wednesday's Stage 3 Corkscrew, they invest totally in speed, throwing caution to the wind at 80 kilometres an hour.

A surfer who wipes out is cushioned by water but when a cyclist comes off, there is nothing but injury between him and the road.

No one is sure yet whether it was newly blamed bitumen or rider error that caused Wednesday's mass smash that ruined the hopes of French rider Arnaud Courteille,and involved 10 other riders. World Champion Phillipe Gilbert was also caught up.

Part of the art of competitive riding is learning to set aside the knowledge that this kind of disaster can happen.

It is why watching the peloton tear past, in silence but for the thrum of their spokes, is such a spectator thrill. They zip along like a pack of bees, utterly focused and aerodynamically perfect.

The races are unfolding like set pieces with the only all-Australian team, UniSA, showcasing its amateur riders for sponsors and team scouts.

Each day they aggressively break ranks in the first stages, drawing attention to themselves until inevitably, the peloton catches up.

"It's about getting exposure and trying to prove my worth to the bigger teams,'' says Brisbane amateur Jordon Kerby who took a seven-minute lead on the Stage One leg won by Andre Greipel.

"Also, this is my first world tour race so it's all about learning my trade against the big boys.''

The towns that provide the backdrop could not be happier with race figures at 100,000 or more each day.

And the riders love it for another reason. Unlike the Tour de France which moves to a new location each night, in Adelaide they return to their hotel.

After each leg is over, they set in groups on a leisurely ride back to Victoria Square.

"Members of the public often join in with them, it's an added bonus,'' says former track champion Shane Kelly who follows the riders in a support car. ``You couldn't do that anywhere else in the world.''