Tasmania's Matt Goss won an exciting opening race to the 2011 Tour. Photos courtesy tourdownunder.com.au
A crowd of 108,000 watched yesterday's Cancer Council Classic.
The 2011 Santos Tour Down Under kicked off yesterday with 108,000 people watching the Cancer Council Classic around the streets of Adelaide’s East End. Santos volunteers were out in force helping to raise money for cancer research.
Tasmanian Matt Goss took the Classic honours in an exciting race held in perfect conditions. During the event, 30 Santos employees joined volunteers from the Cancer Council SA to collect donations for the Ride for a reason initiative. They raised $12,981 at the track and via online donations. Santos will match this amount raised yesterday and the amount raised at Stage 6 on Sunday.
This effort adds to individual fundraising by employees taking part in the Mutual Community Challenge Tour and those who have given up their lunch hours to ride stationary bikes in the Santos Centre foyer to promote the program and raise more funds.
Also during the Classic, seven volunteers manned Santos’ end-stage booth, handing out merchandise, promoting the company, and managing the popular energy bike challenge. Another seven hosted Santos’ tent in the Tour Village in Victoria Square during the day.
On the Sunday morning preceding the Classic, employees and their families took part in a series of timed laps around the track at Victoria Park, just near the Classic route. Santos Tour Down Under ambassador Shane Kelly joined the group of 60 and challenged all comers to a race.
On Saturday evening at the Santos Centre, Santos hosted the international media contingent in town to cover the Tour with a Taste of South Australia event featuring local food and wine.
Filed under:
Community wellbeing, Health, South Australia