Tour Down Under: Stage Two - Hard Draggy Finish

Another hot day. The stage has been shortened.

The teams roll out of Norwood, and up the Gorge Road.

At the side of the road Terence is watching, in a brown top hat with steampunk glasses.

Team Crustacean streams by.

Yay! cries Terence. Go Team Stinky!

Did you hear that? asks Pinky. That clown said Go Team Pinky

Team Stinky, says Kobo. That would be Terence.

He was wearing a top hat and strange metal glasses, says Pinky.

No talking! shouts Ageless. Lead me out!

Who does he think he is? grumbles Pinky.

Your team leader, says Blue Claw. You should do it.

He can lead himself out, says Pinky. This is too hot a day. We have our own agenda.

What is it? asks Blue Claw.

You'll see, says Pinky.

Richie Porte rides up behind Ageless.

You spend a lot of time in the library, says Richie.

How do you know? asks Ageless.

It's on your profile, says Richie. Can I run a poem past you?

No! says Ageless. I'm having enough trouble. Run it past Blue Claw.

Okay, says Richie. Is he a poet?

Every B C is a poet, says Blue Claw. I've written several. Would you care for a short one?

Yeah, a short one, says Richie. Caleb Ewan's not too far behind.

O to be me, O to be you, O too bee two, O-too-bee-too-bee-too, says Blue Claw.

It's different, says Richie.

Is it? asks Blue Claw.

Caleb's gaining, says Richie. I'll just give you my last three lines:

I have knocked at your door, no one answered
Are you fishing in some autumn pool?
sorry I am to be missing.......

Is missing the best rhyme for fishing? asks Blue Claw.

It's not the end of the line yet, says Richie. But I've got to go.

Let us leave them and skip to not far from the finish.

Not far from the finish, a pile up!

What can have caused it?

 A set of tiny green wheels and four tight pink fingers, changing direction in the midst of the peloton and heading straight for a café. Did anyone see it?

No, thought not.

And the leaders don't need to. Hurrah for the pile up!

Patrick Bevan picks a good line on the hard draggy finish. Zoom! He beats Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan.