29 Jan: Watching in Real Life.

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When you watch a bike race on TV you are treated to multiple close up views of the riders and the course from every imaginable angle. When race activity is boring the camera pans to sweeping vistas of stunning scenery, all shot from a helicopter's vantage point.

When you watch a bike race in real life you are confined to your own viewpoint, often marred by the too-tall media photographer who persists in standing in front of you. You forget your hat and get sunburned despite the cloud cover and persistent drizzle.

Not that we could have watched the race on TV anyway, seeing as the Geelong Showgrounds doesn't offer such accommodations as televisions or places to watch them.  So we went and got sunburned in the drizzle while standing behind tall photographers and listening to organisers complain about the low cloud ceiling limiting the helicopters' visibility and the lack of sparkling sea on a dull grey day.

 

We found the whole show very entertaining anyway.

It was all very serious.

Apart from the times when it wasn't.

Tension mounted as the riders completed the final lap.

We had a winner!  He was happy.

For some the finish was not so glorious, crashing out within sight of the finish line.
 

Other than our outing to watch the bicycles we spent a standard day at the Geelong Showgrounds, catching up on boring tasks and staying out of the sun/rain. We woke to a tent full of last night's mosquitoes trying to get out, and despite our best efforts ushered in a new batch at bedtime. One gaggle of Grey Nomads departed in the early morning, and another batch rolled in after midday. The corellas put on an impressive mass flight display before settling in for their standard night of destroying the sleep of anyone who wasn't wearing ear plugs.


 

Roger looked forward to a good night's sleep on a brand new camp mattress, having suffered through the previous night when his mattress refused to stay inflated. Not that it owed him anything mind you, having provided at least 6 months worth of comfortable sleep in the course of its life. 

Just another day in the office, really.

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