After a successful season for the Big Ride for Palestine in 2020 some riders are thinking of entering the 2021 Tour de Brisbane. From 17 Jan 2021 till the finale of ‘Tour de Brisbane‘ on Sunday 11 April 2021, I am going to do the ‘Tour de Brisbane‘ course (or part thereof) as training rides.
I have chosen the ‘Medio’ parcourse because its average speed is what I can maintain with my level of fitness. Others may be interested in the free community or Gran Fondo events in the Tour de Brisbane.
On Sunday 17 Jan I am going on a training ride starting at 7.30 am . This will be from Kangaroo Point Cliffs to Ride to the Don & Christine Burnett Conservation Area at Sheldon.
This is a 73 kms ride and traces the main part of the Medio course of the Tour on the southside.
During training, we will keep to the bike paths … the actual race is along the busways and roads. I wrote to the Tour de Brisbane organisers and asked if we can wear our Free Palestine … another world is possible jerseys in the Tour de Brisbane. They gave the Ok.
Here is what Lachlan had to say after the ride:
Today Ian and I checked out some of the 2021 Tour de Brisbane route around Burbank and Sheldon. It was a good ride covering over 70km, enough hills for a challenge, through koala habitat on Brisbane’s South-East, with particularly pleasant weather for summer! This photo is at one of the planned feed stations at the Don & Christine Burnett Conservation Area in Sheldon.
The Tour de Brisbane is being held on the weekend of April 9-12, with the main event on Sunday April 11. There are a range of rides planned, from a free non-competitive community ride through Brisbane to the Gran Forno 110 km race which includes Mt Coot-tha as well as the area we took in today. We’re thinking of entering the 70km Medio, hoping to get a few friends from The Big Ride for Palestine along for the ride.
Of course a ride is not just a ride, we discussed the state of the world – the political situation in the US, possible changes in Cuba-US relations under Biden, and tensions in the Pacific! If we’re going to race in the Tour de Brisbane though we might have to learn to save our breath!!
Fittingly, I did a personal best on the Road of Gaza section of the V1.
However it was nothing compared to another Big Ride for Palestine cyclist.
Here is what he managed to do later in the day. Two mountains, the brutal Mt Cootha with its 18% maximum gradient followed by Mt Gravatt! Not even the Gran Fondo riders are expected to do that in the Tour de Brisbane!
You can watch the parcourse of ‘Tour de Brisbane’ in the video below.
See more about the Big Ride later in the year @ https://thebigrideaustralia.weebly.com/
People are welcome to join us. If interested you can contact me on 0407 687 016.
Ian Curr
17 Jan 2021