Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Well, thr oute has sorta been released, ride is Fri 21st January 2011.

TdU 2011 Registration

Route is Norwood to Gumeracha to Balhannah to Macclesfield and finish in Strathalbyn.

Including a nuetral zone of 11km, total stage distance is 135km.

Stage map

KOM is Checkers Hill !!!!!!! Aaaaaarrggghhhh !!!!

Get training !!!!

it's 30kms shorter than last year. any potential headwinds?

Strawburger wrote:it's 30kms shorter than last year. any potential headwinds?

No idea yet. Don't think there will be a repeat of the carnage along the Milang/Lake Alexandria section, but the bigger worry may be the heat.

Reckon there will be plenty of training rides back up the gorge to Gumeracha and return ....

Wind should be OK, you're in the hills for most of it. But Checkers Hill is going to be a killer !!!!!! Then there are a couple other big climbs. The run out of Meadows on tired legs will be hard !!!!

actually, I was thinking the climb when you turn off the Ashbourne Valley Rd, a sharp little legbreaker then a fast descent into Strathalbyn. A nice run downhill, that one.

How steep and long is Checkers ? From what little I saw on the coverage it was steeper than Fox Creek, but shorter ?

I guess that apart from Checkers Hill, is this stage classed as a "Rolling" stage ??

Stolen from Adelaide Cyclist ;

Just checked out Hillclimbr.com and they have two Checker Hill Climbs. They have described the two climbs as front and back. The back side is 1.2 km at 9 percent whereas the front is 600 metres at an average 14 percent. Torrens Hill Road would compare very similar to the longer back side of Checkers to give you an idea of what the easier side is like. Lucky the steeper side is only 600 metres (more or less straight up:)


Pic from 5aa website of 2009 TdU stage up Checkers Hill

Checker Hill, approach from the west
Fox Creek I can do, Checker Hill not so (unless I get some compact gearing)

I might do the Ride Like Crazy again, and give the TDU a miss.



Fox Creek (from Cudlee Creek-Lobethal Rd to KOM at Croft Rd

I can imagine seeing a lot of people walking their bikes up Checker Hill. At the brutality only lasts for about 1km rather than the 30km Milang stretch this year. I know most of the roads until Mt Barker so I might start to do some training around Mt Barker->Meadows-Strathalbyn. I wonder why it's so short this year though, and why do we always have to go up Gorge Rd. It's not a bad ride but there are other ways into the hills. Maybe Greenhill Rd next year.

Sumichino wrote:I can imagine seeing a lot of people walking their bikes up Checker Hill.

early prediction: mayhem all the way up Checker Hill as riders struggle and untidily dismount while others try to ride a few more metres before they too sucumb. Checker Hill was used once in the very early years of the TDU, but I think it is a poor choice for a KOM for the majority of the participants now riding this event.

Wont be entering the ride next year....the 2010 fiasco and the 2009 jersey debarcle were enough for me to put my $130 entry fee into a ride that received rave reviews (Ride Like Crazy). Having said that me and a few mates are still planning on riding the route with the masses as far as Hahndorf or Meadows, pulling in for a few quiet ales and watch the pros zip by, before a relaxing ride back to Adelaide. All the benefits of doing the ride but without all the hassles of wrong sized jerseys, hanging around in ques for bag drop, toilet, start line etc at the start, wandering around at the finish trying to find food/water/bag pickup and no hassles trying to car pool to get home. We also wont need to feel like we are relying on imaginary water stops and two banana food rations.

Very keen... this would be my first tdu stage..... Should I be scared?

Did BikeSA grand slam 3 the other week, so im familiar with the roads around meadows, strath. etc.

Should be fun!

Checkers could be interesting.
With a 53/39, 23/11 I have to wind back and forth across the road to climb.
Can't see me doing that in a pack, even a walking pack.

Checkers is the most frightening looking hill I have climbed.
I reckon it is about the same as corkscrew and a little easier than sheoak, but bloody hell it looks daunting from the bottom.

We need to arrange some training rides so that those of us (read me) who are going to struggle up checker hill can get some miles into the legs early enough to make a difference.
If anyone wants to start up a regular weekend or after work training ride for this somewhere around the hills or gorge rd I'd be up for it (even coming over from Goodwood).

limetang wrote:Very keen... this would be my first tdu stage..... Should I be scared?

Did BikeSA grand slam 3 the other week, so im familiar with the roads around meadows, strath. etc.

Should be fun!

Like wise minus the RAIN !!!!

Patdys wrote:Checkers could be interesting.
With a 53/39, 23/11 I have to wind back and forth across the road to climb.
Can't see me doing that in a pack, even a walking pack.

Checkers is the most frightening looking hill I have climbed.
I reckon it is about the same as corkscrew and a little easier than sheoak, but bloody hell it looks daunting from the bottom.

if anyone can do willunga hill = repeat twice then Checkers is a cake walk

Clydesdale Scot wrote:Checker Hill, approach from the west
Fox Creek I can do, Checker Hill not so (unless I get some compact gearing)

I might do the Ride Like Crazy again, and give the TDU a miss.



Fox Creek (from Cudlee Creek-Lobethal Rd to KOM at Croft Rd

would you have elevation map of Willunga Hill?

(AT) bionic wombat :
From the numbers, Willunga & Checkers don't compare. Willunga is an average of about 7%, whereas Checkers is an AVERAGE of 14.2%, thank god it's only 600m long.

Agree with the dismounts, could get messy.

My aim would be to not walk, even if it means getting the 34T out, buying a 11-28 cassette and suitable RD.

(AT) dahondude :
Understand your frustration, and hopefully they have learnt. Will be firing off some serious questions before I plonk my money down. Hoping to get work to put in a team and pay for it.

An easy to get to climb in the city that is slightly longer, but not as steep is Kensington Rd from the roundabout to the Lookout. Almost 11% avg and just over a km long.

bionic wombat wrote: would you have elevation map of Willunga Hill?

Oh yes, I like that one.
starts at Main Rd/High Street intersection, ends at top at Meadows Rd intersection.

Clydesdale Scot wrote:

bionic wombat wrote: would you have elevation map of Willunga Hill?

Oh yes, I like that one.
starts at Main Rd/High Street intersection, ends at top at Meadows Rd intersection.

Agree. Since they resurfaced it, it's great fun going down too

Does anyone know the elevation/gradient of Education Rd at Happy Valley? Its not far from me and not a long climb but quite steep, i wonder if it would be a good training run for Checkers...
Wish I was still riding my Giant with a Compact Triple Gruppo..... On Oppy it will be 53/25 all the way

limetang wrote:Does anyone know the elevation/gradient of Education Rd at Happy Valley?

been down it, giving a little wave as I passed vehicles.
Looks like I have a climb to do to log it for reference.

early prediction is that most people wont be able to attempt the ride up the KOM not because of the steepness but because of the traffic problems created by dismounted/walking riders

Clydesdale Scot wrote:

bionic wombat wrote: would you have elevation map of Willunga Hill?

Oh yes, I like that one.
starts at Main Rd/High Street intersection, ends at top at Meadows Rd intersection.

BRILLIANT !

This is going to be a lot like a some of the hills in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Specifically the Koppenberg. A short steep hill where the front of the peloton sprints to the bottom of the climb in order to get to the best position. It may not be cobbled or wet but a lot of the other characteristics are similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Fl ... bled_hills
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koppenberg

Sumichino wrote:This is going to be a lot like a some of the hills in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Specifically the Koppenberg. A short steep hill where the front of the peloton sprints to the bottom of the climb in order to get to the best position. It may not be cobbled or wet but a lot of the other characteristics are similar.

on the other hand, and without wanting to be too sanctimonious about it, IT ISN'T A RACE. If you want to race get a license and do it properly. Many of the problems I've seen on the TDU rides (done all but 2) are caused by riders who think they're hotfoot racers.