After a long hiatus, there was a palpable buzz surrounding this year’s Tour Down Under carpark climb. This year’s edition was officially the third (and loudest) running of the event and we couldn’t be more thrilled being a part of it’s return.
Of course bike couriers and the like have been doing CarPark climbs (or Parkades as they’re called in North America) for donkey’s years, and you’d be hard pressed to find an event that brings so many different types of cyclists together. For most it’s not a serious race, and celebrating all the different types of riders and bikes is the whole point.
This year saw the return of Oakley as headline sponsor, and alongside them a special surprise rider in the form of (and on-form) Richie Porte. An elimination-style bracket competition saw groups of three going head-to-head-to-head, with the fastest rider going onto the next heat. Setting the tone for the evening in the first shootout of the night was Richie Porte, Mitch Docker, and Escape’s own Wade Wallace. Despite a clear jumping of the gun by Porte, Escape Collective’s #1 member, the chop had been obviously been determined, and both Richie and Mitch found themselves out of the competition, and into the crowd.
With a focus on good tunes, flowing beer, and cowbells, the remainder of the evening was a blur of colour, noise and good-natured heckling.
Thank you to Oakley, Zwift, Wilson Parking, the Tour Down Under organisation, and our operations partner LOCALE for the support and for putting on a great night. And most of all, thanks to all the riders and hecklers who created the most electric atmosphere the TDU has seen in years!
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