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Hello Australia! I’m crashing your country through March!

TdU2017

Four redeye flights in a row later coming from CES in Las Vegas the wrong way around the world, and I’ve arrived in Australia!  Actually, more accurately, we’ve arrived in Australia.  Me, The Girl, and both Peanuts (Lucy is getting the pleasure of spending the next few months in warm and sunny Norway, since she isn’t permitted easily into Australia).

The Plan:

First up on the docket is the Tour Down Under, which got underway tonight (well, the People’s Choice event did anyway).  And then the full tour kicks off Tuesday and goes throughout the week.  Of course I’ve got some sports tech themed posts coming out of that, including a round-up of all the sports tech devices both the men, and women, are using (just like last year…but better).  Shane Miller of GPLama helped me gather data on the women’s side, since I couldn’t get here any faster coming out of CES (they unfortunately shifted the women’s schedule earlier this year, overlapping with CES).

Then I’ll remain in the Adelaide area till around the 23rd before heading over to Freemantle (Perth).  It’s there that we’ll stay through to the end of March.  Boom!

It’s swim/bike/run heaven!  The beach is only a block away, allowing for awesome openwater swims (save the sharks), and there’s tons of riding to be had.  Plus, I heard you can even run in Australia without falling off the bottom of the earth.  I’m even eyeing a triathlon or two in the Perth area later in February or March.  First though, just gotta figure out how to pronounce all these town names.

So why come over for such a long time?  Simple: There’s really nothing desirable about the weather in Central/Northern Europe in January-March.  Except the Alps, but alas, living in the Alps in the winter is a bit tricky for what I do.  So like a professional athlete without being fast, I’ve migrated to warmer climates this year for the winter season.

Last year we came down for the Tour Down Under in January, and stayed about a month – visiting Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Hamilton Island.  It was awesome, and once we got to the end of the month all we could think about was “Why are we headed back so soon?!?”.  Thus, that problem solved this year.

However, we won’t be visiting other cities like last year, as frequently moving around with two little ones is a bit tricky – especially since we have a bunch of luggage as one might expect for 2.5 months, including a bike.  We’ll likely do some local travelling from the Perth area, for short overnights and such (so if you’ve got suggestions – drop them below!).  Oh, and we’ll stay in Singapore the last week of March for a few days too.

A DCR Meetup – Monday!

While writing this quick post as we descend into Adelaide, I realized I never posted on the blog the planned Tech Meetup tomorrow night (Monday) in Adelaide.  Not just me, but Shane Miller (GPLama), then the crew from Wahoo Fitness, FulGaz, and The Sufferfest!  Boom!  More than 60 of you have registered thus far…and, most notably: There’s free beer!

TDUMeetup

Definitely hit up the registration button (so we know how hosed we are on our beer tab), and look forward to seeing you there!

And fear not, I’m sure I’ll plan other things in Perth once we get settled in. If you’d like to head out on a ride or a run in either of those two spots, drop a note below and I’ll be able to respond back privately via your e-mail (your e-mail on the comment form is only shown to me).

With that – I’m looking forward to the next while!  Not only here enjoying everything this kangaroo filled country has to offer, but also all the products planned and in the testing queue over the next 3-4 months!  2018 may be one of the most interesting years for sports tech in a long while!

Thanks for reading!

(Oh – and fear not, I’ve got roughly 4-5 more CES posts to finish editing photos and video on, that you’ll see each day this week as well. Here’s a preview of sorts of one…)

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52 Comments

  1. JamesC

    Cool! Cairns is much nicer though…?

    • Brett Johnston

      Plenty of nice wineries in Margaret River and a beautiful coastline DC. It’s only a couple of hours from Perth as well. You’ll be here for the IndyPac start too ?

  2. David Kennedy

    Come ride in singapore, you can literally make a lap of the country on a ride!
    Could also organise a meet up if you are still in the mood?

  3. Matt

    Good to hear you’re sticking around a bit longer this time! Keen to join for a ride and/or run while you’re in Adelaide.

  4. Paul

    Happy to help you around adelaide with cycling stuff or stuff for your kids required.

  5. Stuart

    Love to see you in perth, hard to spot kangaroos in the wild tho bouncing around. Best spots are the MTB trails early in the morning.

  6. Vanessa

    Hi. There’s lot of scenic ocean bike and run paths in Perth. Happy to show you all around. It is Triathlon season here now. There will be indeed events in feb and March.

  7. Kelly

    Welcome to Adelaide!
    Fairly sure that the weather this week will NOT be like Europe. Or north eastern US.
    I’m not sure if I can make the Wheaty meet up (don’t let the bar tab get onto the whiskeys – the beer list is plenty long enough!), and I’m a runner not a cyclist, so I wouldn’t have much to say there anyway. But keep me on the list if you are thinking of a group run.

  8. Samuel Medway

    Welcome Ray and Family!
    I’d happily show you around some of the famous and some of the lesser known cycling and running routes of Perth and Greater Fremantle.

  9. Megan

    Glad you’re going to be in my adopted hometown of Perth (planned to stay a year, it’s been five so far). It really is heaven for the outdoorsy types.

    A bunch of suggestions, I’ll probably come back to add more later:
    – most places are accessible by bike, there’s excellent paths parallel to train lines and alongside the beach
    – lots of parkruns in Perth, including Cottesloe beach, they’ll be able to give you more tips too
    – The Coogee Maritime Trail is worth a snorkel: link to cockburn.wa.gov.au (it’s pronounced co-burn, if you’re wondering)
    – this is an excellent resource for finding events in Australia: link to runningcalendar.com.au
    – groups like Perth Urban Runners and WA Marathon Club may have other runs as well
    (I’m more of a runner so don’t know too much about the cycling scene)

    On a non-sports note, this is an excellent time of year to come to Perth – it’s festival season! Lots of stuff on for the Peanuts too.
    – Fringe Festival (third largest in the world!): link to fringeworld.com.au even if you don’t go to specific shows there’s lots to see and atmosphere to soak up (although I recommend Trash Test Dummies).
    – Perth Festival (February): link to perthfestival.com.au
    – lots of outdoor cinemas making the most of our summer weather
    – Margaret River wine region (Busselton is also good if you don’t quite want to go that far – and the jetty swim/fun run weekend is always good: link to busseltonjettyswim.org.au and link to busseltonrunnersclub.org.au)
    – Kings Park for a walk/picnic
    – John Forrest National Park for a walk/picnic and visiting kangaroos

    That’s all I can think of now… I’m in the rehab stage of a broken foot at the moment so probably not up for a ride/run but send me an email if you have any questions or want more tips!

    Megan

    • Tom W

      Great post Megan. Heal well.

      As you’ve probably worked out Ray, lots of expats in Perth, can’t wait for to join us for a good holiday.

  10. if you are looking for some group rides while in perth, our club has something on everyday of the week.

    link to southperthrouleurs.com.au

  11. IR

    Wait so you aren’t going to be spending any time i Sydney? You could really come… I know you’ve been before but it’s a wonderful city to do a little running in. Perth is lovely but it’s. Bt of a country town… Would be happy to help arrange a reader meetup if you do plan to pop over.

  12. Andrew

    Hi Ray – I’m in Oz on business trip until 9th Feb – unfortunately I’ll miss your event on Monday night as I don’t arrive until Thursday evening (just in time for public ride in Friday). I’ll be flitting between Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne – love to meet for a morning ride.

  13. Brett

    G’day Ray,
    I live about 10 minutes Sth from where you will be in Fremantle. Plenty of good trail running in and around Perth, even close to Freo (that’s Fremantle ?). One nature reserve with 100+ kangaroos is 3k from our house! Pretty cool running through there and seeing them all around you. We do group runs there Wed arvo/evenings. ‘parkrun’ at Bibra Lake on Saturday mornings is a must too. I’ve lived here my whole 40yrs so happy to pass on any local knowledge or assistance you need mate. Cheers.

    • Hey Brett-

      What’s the name of the nearby reserve that has the 100+ roos?

      Might be up for a Weds evening run, and I think I’m even closer to you, since I’m technically in North Coogee.

    • Brett Morris

      G’day Ray,
      Yes I’m just a couple km inland from you there.
      The reserve is Thomsons Lake Nature Reserve. It’s roughly a 7km loop around the lake on the dirt/sand/limestone track but you need to enter the reserve through the airlock gates (to preserve the natural wildlife within, and keep domestic animals out!) at the very northwest or northeast corners (those are the gates I know anyway). Once inside you wouldn’t know you are in the suburbs, it’s great and I don’t think i’ve ever done a lap and not seen kangaroos (late arvo or early morning when they are up feeding is a good time to see big groups of them).
      I’ve got two weeks annual leave starting this Saturday (3rdFeb) and have a couple young kids starting school this week that i’ll be ferrying around but i’m sure I can have a word to ‘my girl’ to let me out to take a wayward tourist out for a run sometime instead.
      Maybe if you email me I can send you a map with gate markings etc, and give you the Wed night group run meetup info/contact details? I can drive to pick you up if that helps. Or if you’d rather run in the morning i’m sure I could rustle up a few of the Beeliar area locals for a run then too.
      Cheers mate.

  14. Jérôme

    While in Singapore, come for an RTI – Round The Island – about 120 km pancake flat. it will be fun :)

  15. Maureen

    You should consider the Cotto Swim on 25 Feb. link to rottnestchannelswim.com.au

    I’ll come to a Meetup in Perth if the timing works out.

  16. Peter

    Nice to see you here again

  17. Chris

    I’m sure you will get plenty of suggestions, but definitely recommend heading down the coast to Busselton and Margaret River area. We also stayed in Bunker Bay on Cape Naturaliste for 4-5 nights and loved it – some awesome running trails and beaches.

  18. Bruce Burkhalter

    Very envious! What does the Girl do about the cake shop?

  19. Stuart

    Welcome to the country.

    Here’s the obligatory tourism video. (Note: if you’re arachnophobic, or have other animal-related phobias, you might not want to watch.) link to youtube.com

  20. Alan

    Great you’ll be spending some time in WA!
    Clearly I’m biased but I recommend my family’s Farmstay (www.fergusonfarmstay.com.au) in the Ferguson Valley Region near Bunbury. Its a 2hr drive from Perth and located close to some great hills cycling and trail walking/running around the Wellington Forrest National Park, as well as wineries in the Ferguson Valley. Also only 30min from Bunbury and beaches.

  21. Jerry

    let us Singapore residents know your dates :) lots of folks here would love to meet you in person !

    • March 26th to 29th. Once I get a bit closer I’ll see about doing a meetup of some sort. I’ll have my bike – so would definitely be tempted to get in at least one ride.

  22. Peter

    Welcome to Australia and more specifically Perth/Freo soon.

    If there is a group run or a meetup happening I’d be keen.

  23. Damon

    Another Perth resident here. Not promising I’d be able to keep up on any of the disciplines, but happy to try, and see some of the stuff you go through in testing etc.

    Cheers
    Damon

  24. Rhys

    Welcome back to Australia!

    If you are looking for some swimming, running or cycling during the days in Perth while everyone else is at work I’m in, though open water swimming is not my kind of thing with a shark net or 100s of other potential victims in a race ?. There’s a few triathlons coming over the Feb and March period. Check http://triserieswa.com.au and link to allbarnone.com , there’s even one in Fremantle (one E) in March. And the Karri Valley triathlon is apparently fantastic too but i always seem to be busy when its on link to stadiumtriclub.com

  25. MC

    Great to hear that your coming Perth!

    If your not already booked out for events I would strongly recommend Karri Valley Triathlon, just out of Perth:-

    link to stadiumtriclub.com

    Best race in WA.

  26. Daniel Green

    Hi Ray, I would definitely be interested when you hit the West in Perth, Welcome and I hope you all enjoy Australia I’m sure you’re going to love it!

  27. Great to have you in Perth, Ray. Please come and join us on our “Perth cycling IT professionals” (PCITP) group ride each Wednesday morning leaving the Bell Tower in Perth city at 6am.

    Now in its 5th year, the PCITP Group has over 500 members and can be found on LinkedIn (a business networking website). Our Cycling Group promotes safe cycling and encourages all those in IT to join in and enjoy the wonderful scenery Perth provides.

    Our group has a weekly ride on a Wednesday morning departing from the Perth Bell Tower at 6.30am (winter) and 6.00am (Summer) for a river loop which returns at 7.45am and includes a coffee stop in Applecross. All members are welcome to join in on the rides regardless of fitness and experience level. We have 3 pace group to cater for all levels.

    PCITP Cycling kits are also available to purchase.

    • Noob

      Typical Perth – Cycling here is an extension of the golfing fraternity – all the gear, but no idea.

      Bring back the old days – And let the corporates find a new networking outlet

  28. Marc

    I wonder whether Wahoo will be mentioning anything about their to-be-announced tri watch – elemnt rival

  29. Ciaran

    Take the family out to Rottnest island for a day or 2. It’s an amazing spot and the kids will love the quokka’s!
    There are no private cars on the island – everyone gets around by bike and you can rent houses there for a few days if you’re staying over.

  30. Peter Poulsen

    In Singapore you need to visit Gardens by the Bay. Amazing place :-)

  31. Stefanos

    And what about cupcakes ? You will close the shop in Paris?

  32. Ian

    Awesome to hear you’ll be in Perth for some time! If I make it back from Chile I’d go for a running meetup!

  33. Hey Ray, great you’re coming to Perth. If you want to get a taste of some Aussie Surf Life Saving let me know and you can join in some of our swims/runs or try your hand at some of the surfcraft. There are a number of open water swims on while you’re here. Cottesloe to Swanbourne Ocean classic (2.2km) is Feb 3rd, there are others each weekend in the lead up to the Rottnest Channel swim. Have fun. Looks like you’ll have plenty to do

  34. John

    I am sorry I am having a tough time enjoying this post. You live in Paris, France. One of the most beautiful cities in the world. Oh by the way it is 46 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris today, which is not cold. So then in this post you announce that you are headed to the Tour Down Under and you are going to winter in Adelaide, Australia. Last but certainly not least you are getting FREE BEER to talk tech.

    This is too much for me to handle. It is 6 degrees Fahrenheit here in Iowa. All I have to look forward to tonight is shoveling snow and riding Zwift.

    Enjoy Australia and drink a beer or two or three for all of us stuck in the cold!

    John

  35. Grant

    What about Brisbane and the Gold Coast? – Next year

  36. Blair

    Enjoy! Can you share what bike case you use for travel? Thanks.

  37. Hope you enjoy your time out here. I live on the eastern seaboard, but was out west a few months ago. Suggestions (some already made) for you include:

    – Stay for a few days to check out the Stirling ranges and Porongurup. Beautiful mountains (wildflowers in spring) and an hour or two drive from Margaret River. We stayed here which was super nice – http://www.woodlandsretreat.com.au with an open view of the range. Seems they also have a wine festival in early March.
    – Rottnest islands has already been mentioned and is definately worth the trip for the quokkas alone.
    – You should be in Fremantle when the Indian Pacific Wheel Race starts (March 17th) and the riders dip their wheels in the Indian ocean and start the 5500km self supported ride across Australia.

    enjoy!

  38. Just wanna say a huge thanks to the amazing response here – and all the tons of ideas!

    Since most of them are focused on Perth, we’ve been digging through them, and once we arrive next week will likely start reaching out on a few of them. We totally appreciate it – it’s so cool how many awesome things folks have tossed out.

    Thanks again!

  39. Kathryn

    Hi Ray,
    Just a couple of restaurant suggestions from when I lived in Perth a few years back:
    – In Fremantle: Bread in Common (link to breadincommon.com.au) – fantastic food, fantastic bread, and even more amazing butters – 43 Packenam St Fremantle.
    – Mary St Bakery (link to marystreetbakery.com.au) – great bakery and brunch plus on the north side of the river – 507 Beaufort St, Highgate (and just up the road is Beaufort St Books, my favourite little Perth bookshop with a great kids section – 567 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley)
    Have a great time out west!

  40. Amy

    Just catching up on your Australia adventures! Nick will be in Singapore when you guys are there…be sure to hook up so we can finally repay you that babysitting money we owe you from this fall! ? E, Baby #2, and I won’t move to Singapore until mid-April when baby is big enough to have had shots. Sorry I’ll miss you all!

  41. Scuba

    Even though I’m in Adelaide, very surprised hardly anyone has suggested Little CreAtures for its brewery in Fremantle WA ….. and great pizza!! The Pale Ale is tremendous ? kid friendly too

  42. Marc

    Just one thing… sharks are’nt so dangerous as kangaroos:

    link to news.com.au

  43. Simon

    I just watched your DJI Mavic air high speed wind test in Fremantle and looked over to see this post! A great place in the world, especially if you want wind, or even high speed winds. Have fun there