2015
TOUR OF THE GREAT SOUTH COAST
August 12 – 16
Monday, August 3, 2015
SCHOOLS’ VISITS A
TOUR SPECIALITY
Mount Gambier and district school children are in for feast of cycling when the Lakes Oil-Fulton Hogan
Tour of the Great South Coast starts in the region next week.
Riders from the top-rated Avanti and CharterMason Giant Teams will visit at least six schools to talk with
students on a variety of cycling-related matters, including health and fitness, diet, the perils of drugtaking, race tactics and road safety.
Schools’ participation is an important component of the Great South Coast Tour, with key sponsors
Lakes Oil, Fulton Hogan, Campolina, Scody, the CFMEU and MGA Insurance Brokers all committed to
promoting the cyclists as role models throughout the community.
The five-day tour starts in Mount Gambier with a closed-circuit street race (criterium) at Vansittart Park
at 11am on Wednesday, August 12, and most school children attending the 36km race will already be
familiar with riders’ names.
The CharterMason and Avanti teams will visit schools in Mount Gambier and the District Council of
Grant municipality the day previously.
Schools likely to receive visits include: Allendale East Area School, Gambier North Primary, Melaleuca
Park Primary, Tenison Woods College, Gordon Education Centre and Pangula Mannamurna Aboriginal
Youth Centre.
CharterMason team director Damian Harris said today his riders thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to
visit schools and engage with the children.
“Schools visits are important in developing cycling awareness, “he said. “You never know who is going
to be the next cycling champion.
“Also, it is great to give back to the community which provides us with the opportunity to race.
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P.O. Box 6453, Highton, Vic., Australia. 3216 Telephone: 0408 558 469
Fax: (03) 5243 3338 Email: info@caribou.net.au Web: www.caribou.net.au
2015
TOUR OF THE GREAT SOUTH COAST
August 12 – 16
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“I would never normally have visited half of the country towns I have been to with the bikes over the
past few years, but I have since revisited many of them because they have lots of fantastic people and
beautiful surroundings.”
The CharterMason team will be based in Port McDonnell for four days before and during the tour and
are hopeful that one of their riders can win the 137km stage from Mount Gambier to Port McDonnell on
Thursday, August 13.
Veteran Avanti director Andrew Christie-Johnson said he was frequently amazed by the depth of
questions young students fired at the cyclists.
“It’s usually an education for all of us,” Christie-Johnson said. “The Avanti team regards it as part of our
responsibility to the community and sponsors to take part in these schools visits.
“Aside from anything else, it’s fun and rewarding. We will be conducting a training camp in the Mount
Gambier region before the tour and we look forward to another pleasant experience.”
The Tour of the Great South Coast is Australia’s only two-state cycling classic, taking in the City of Mount
Gambier and the District Council of Grant in South Australia and the Shires of Glenelg and Moyne in
Victoria.
It will conclude with a criterium on Port Fairy’s ocean front at lunch-time on Sunday, August 16, after
featuring spectacular racing at Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake area, Port McDonnell, Portland, Heywood,
Casterton, Koroit and Peterborough.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Kipp Kaufmann
CEO Cycling Victoria
PH: 03 8480 3000
John Craven
Caribou Publications
PH: 0408 558 469
P.O. Box 6453, Highton, Vic., Australia. 3216 Telephone: 0408 558 469
Fax: (03) 5243 3338 Email: info@caribou.net.au Web: www.caribou.net.au