Tour rides wave of success

By Kath Gannaway
JAYCO Herald Sun Tour organisers have given the Marysville and Healesville communities a big pat on the back for their support of the event.
And whoever organised the superb weather is also in their good books!
Marysville turned the event into a festival on the Wednesday, organising a full day of bikethemed activities for residents, visitors and the district’s school children.
In Healesville the action started at 8am with more than 80 enthusiastic cyclists signing up in the main street for their chance to ride the official course in the first ever Grand Fondo event.
A large crowd waved the official tour cyclists off in the main street for one of the most challenging stages of the gruelling sixday race.
The Yarra Valley stage saw riders cover 140.9 kilometres of the valley, from Healesville to Launching Place, along the Warburton Highway, back through Gruyere and into Coldstream, Yarra Glen along the Melba Highway and back into Toolangi and Healesville before tackling the King of the Mountain climb up the Chum Creek Road and back into Healesville.
Students from Healesville schools were among the large crowd cheering popular Marysville and Healesville stage winner Baden Cooke and the overall winner after day five Dominique Perras of Canada, passed the finish line.
Tour media director David Culbert said the support of the communities had been a highlight of the stages for the riders, support crews and organisers.
“It was just fantastic to see the support of communities with significant crowds along the roads and a really good atmosphere at the finishing points,” he said.
“The atmosphere in Marysville where the riders stayed for two days was really good and the countryside and crowds in Healesville were tremendous.”
Healesville Chamber of Commerce president Gary Slater was also very pleased with the success of Healesville’s contribution to the event and indications from organisers are that Healesville and the Yarra Valley could be on the tour’s agenda next year.
He said while the cafes did well, other traders felt they had just broken even.
“Even the ones who felt they were a bit quiet could see the value in the long term with a lot of people saying what a beautiful place Healesville and the Yarra Valley is,” Mr Slater said.
“If it comes through next year we would be looking at building on the event to make it a bit more of a festive atmosphere with more activities planned for between when the riders come through.”
The Shire of Yarra Ranges’ executive officer of recreation services, Gerran Wright, said the focus on the Yarra Valley had been tremendous.