Tour de Turtle Stage 3: Happy Valley

Once there were two people who did such a good job of house sitting that they found themselves in the (un)enviable position of sitting two cats in two separate households at the same time. One of them had to stay in Hallett Cove and the other one went back to Belair and the Belair one got a good deal with a warmer house and a cuddlier cat.

They couldn't get too side tracked by one of them moving up to Belair, because they were still locked in an epic battle for overall winner of the Tour de Turtle and the stage was set for the final bicycle battle at the Happy Valley Reservoir.

Stage3: Happy Valley Circuit 

The Happy Valley Shoreline Trail was a complex course, made more so by the Sunday crowd of L-plate MTBers and family groups complete with golden retrievers and wobbly flocks of training-wheelies.  Not knowing any better, our competitive duo started off in an anti-clockwise direction thereby ensuring for themselves maximum steepness of hills.

The course started with the ceremonial parade across the dam wall, before the race proper kicked into gear.

 

The first stage meandered beside the water, shaded by gum trees, with sunlight sparkling on the water and water birds paddling in the shallows.  Competition was not fierce: the team dawdled, took photos, and pedaled side by side in what can only be described as very un-race-like behaviour.

 

Half way around the reservoir the Shoreline Trail abandoned the shore and took to the hills. Roger leapt into action, keen to defend his King Of the Mountain status.  Catherine may or may not have mumbled mean things about 'cheating' under her breath as electric bicyclists powered past up the inclines. 

 

The course opened into a long straight on the plateau, abandoning any pretense of being Shoreline and settling for fenceline instead, with a dash of pine trees and stobie poles thrown in. Any cheering spectators were drowned out by the traffic on the nearby busy road.

 

The Peleton was neck and neck as they turned the final corner and entered the long downhill finish, a picturesque course through majestic trees. A pink bicycle sparkled under one of the trees, having been abandoned by a junior tantrum,-thrower in an earlier race. With the clock ticking down to Late Morning Cup Of Tea, Roger dug deep and powered to a triumphant car park finish.

And he's off on the final straight!

 

The team celebrated with a car picnic of hot coffee and Vegemite scrolls - a truly disgusting combination. - before Roger headed up into the Belair hills and Catherine started the uncontested bonus suburban race section back to Hallett Cove.

The pace was slower, due to having no competition and not knowing the way. The course wended down the creek, encouraging contemplative and enjoyable post race cruising.

Past a little wetlands,

and along a divided highway.

 

So contemplative was the ride, indeed, that Catherine woke from contemplation to realise that she was, in fact, heading the wrong way and had given herself an annoying grind uphill beside the motorway to get back on track. 

Oops.  I have misplaced myself.

Riding beside that was most definitely not contemplative or relaxing.

 

With feelings of great achievement she finally crested the course high point, claiming an uncontested mountain victory, and enjoyed the long downhill to home where the Lord & Master Cat demanded treats and subservience to compensate for having been home alone all day.

So far ahead of the pack that they may as well not be there at all.

 

Le Turtle team, having survived unscathed the travails of top-tier bicycle competition, put on their dressing gowns, traded cat photos, and settled in for solitary nights with their respective cat masters.