Stage One - She Wakes

Stage One of the Tour Down Under was a ride from Prospect to Clare. It was a very hot and windy day. Team Philosophe was riding near the back.

The VeloDrone: Now, the plan is to keep towards the back, then ride a little faster at the end.

Le Bon David: I'm for that!

Surfing-With-Whales: That's not a plan!

The VeloDrone: It's far too hot to bother much today. You younger ones go on ahead.

Surfing-With-Whales: What do you reckon, Sweezo?

Sweezus: Let's go!

They surge forward......

Sweezus and Surfing-With-Whales are up near the front. The race has 20 kilometres to go. Someone falls! Crash! Oh no!

Three riders are injured. The rest of the peloton is held up.

Andre Greipel wins again, in a photo finish this time.

Sweezus and Surfing-With-Whales are elated. They've finished in the top twenty!

But what's this? The first ninety riders are all given the same time, because the crash was so close to the end.

Far out! This would never happen in surfing, said Surfing-With-Whales.

......

Team Crustacean was unhappy. They hadn't even made the first ninety.

Ageless: We need a new plan. It's too hard riding with strapped up legs.

Decca: No. We just need our old plan. We need Starpuss back. She brought us luck.

Karko: She didn't. She got us in trouble.

Decca: It wasn't her fault. Stupid policeman! He had no right to take her away. I reckon I'm goin' to get her back!

.....

Starpuss lay in her box-on-wheels in a store room at the back of the Woodside police station.

She floated gently in her slowly evaporating water.

It was hot in the store room.

She opened a sleepy grey eye.