Taylor Collison team gears up to tackle the Tour Down Under
The team at Taylor Collison will be hitting the road this weekend, as over 20 clients and staff of the stockbroking firm team up to take on the Tour Down Under public Challenge Tour.
The ride is set to begin Saturday morning and will journey from Glenelg all the way to Strathalbyn, via Myponga and Victor Harbor, with a maximum 158.7km ride ahead of participants.
“We have always had avid cyclists in our office, as well as a range of clients who are cycling enthusiasts,” said Nic Seret, Institutional Advisor at Taylor Collison.
Taylor Collison is an Adelaide-based stockbroking firm founded in 1928 and now has approximately 70 staff across both Adelaide and Sydney offices. The company specialises in institutional broking, retail broking and corporate advisory.
The company has been participating in the Tour Down Under for more than 10 years, inviting clients from around the country to participate with their local team in the Challenge Tour.
“This will be my 8th Challenge Tour having first being registered for the 2012 ride by a colleague without even owning a bike,” said Seret. “This year is our largest ever group of riders, which is really encouraging.
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“We use the opportunity to put them in front of some of the local Adelaide ASX-listed companies; it’s a good way for people to combine the two – work and pleasure.”
For some of Taylor Collison’s institutional clients that come from interstate, the challenge is used as an opportunity to put themselves in front of great South Australian-listed companies, private companies and industry experts, as well as experiencing local sights and eateries.
“We have always had great participation from fund managers and corporate clients coming in from Melbourne and Sydney,” said Seret. “They make a big effort by bringing their bikes and sticking around for a few days!”
The Challenge Tour follows the exact same route that the professional riders will be racing in the afternoon. The public riders endeavour to finish the journey around midday and join the other spectators to watch the end of the Tour stage later in the day.
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The Taylor Collison team make sure they prepare their riders and guests, by heading out for a team meal on the Friday before the challenge.
“We always make sure we take our guests out for a bowl of pasta the night before the big ride,” said Seret. “This year we are going to Oggi and other years we’ve been La Trattoria or Rigoni’s.”
There are shorter routes to cater to riders of all capabilities, with a 102km start from Myponga, a 60km start from around Victor Harbor, and a 34.5km option from Goolwa available for those who don’t wish to tackle the full distance.
“We have participants from most start points, but the bulk of us will be doing the full 158km ride,” said Seret.
“We have a range of cyclists here – some are regular riders who have a good crack, while others will take their time and stop as much as possible – but the biggest concern is the heat and wind.”
Last year, the Challenge Tour was cancelled due to the extreme heat, however, with a forecast for the mid-twenties and only moderate wind predicted, the ride should be both enjoyable and rewarding for all participants.
Local tour operator Ian Fehler from Escapegoat Adventures will be assisting the riders meeting the Taylor Collison team at the end of the ride on Saturday with some much-needed food and drink to celebrate what should be a good day’s ride.
“A cold drink at the end of a long ride is always good motivation,” said Seret.
The Challenge Tour starts first thing Saturday morning from Glenelg.
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