We arose after a solid night’s sleep at Bright Velo eager to get stage 3 underway. The stage from Bright to Corryong was 178km long with 2,500m of climbing.
The first task was to tackle the stunning Tawonga Gap climb. A brief stop for photos at the top and to watch a local parasailer before bombing down the other side for 60km in the gorgeous countryside on the way to Tallengatta for morning tea. Unfortunately at this stop we farewelled Todd who had to go back to real life.
In keeping in the spirit of self appointed wildlife warriors on this trip the media team had to radio down the message to the riders to watch for kangaroos on the KOM segment after they had a close encounter, and then saving yet another turtle from potential catastrophe. The media team were also kept busy doing rolling interviews with the riders and capturing the scenery via camera, gimble, GoPro, Fly6 and drone.
The middle section of the stage was rolling and tested the mental and physical strength of all riders before a short lunch and quick final section into Corryong for a hard earned beer. The rain threatened for much of the day to put a damper on things but thankfully it stayed away and let the riders remain dry
Special Mentions for today:
Mayumi’s magic hands! Our resident masseuse has been hard at work all trip tending to riders’ aches and pains as well as playing a supporting role at all stops and in setup and packup each day
Thank you to the Corryong Baptist Church dinner for catering to our travelling circus. The food was amazing, the company was great and a good time was had by all!
The KOM winner today was again Willem who is proving he is nearly untouchable as soon as the roads go up.
The sprint winner in group 1 was Lachie, but with the spread of points in group 1 and triple points up for grabs in group 2 it was Andy who won the day and starts stage 4 in green.
Stage 3’s ‘Ingers Spirit of the Peloton’ jersey was awarded to Bill. His sincerity and unwavering appreciation of everything others have done for him on the ride has really shone since stage 1 and he is a worthy recipient.
Tomorrow is the ‘Queen Stage’ of the event, climbing over Dead Horse Gap and finishing in Jindabyne- if the route wasn’t hard enough- the threat of rain adds a level of apprehension not yet seen on this year’s ride! It could however be the perfect opportunity to test the all new Blackchrome rain jackets (stay tuned)
To make a donation to the team supporting Movember, Orange Sky Laundry and Bicycle NSW Environmental Trust click the links below.
