Tour Down Under: Evans on Fire at Home

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Evans soars to the top of the overall as he solos to victory on stage 3 in the Tour Down Under, Geraint Thomas now sixth

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Australian Cadel Evans (BMC) has wrenched the leader’s jersey from the shoulders of compatriot Simon Gerrans with a stunning solo victory across the line at the end of the Thomas Foods Stage 3 of the Santos Tour Down Under.

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BMC Racing Team’s Cadel Evans wins Stage 3 of the Santos Tour Down Under in Campbelltown. Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo 

The 36 year old pounced on the Corkscrew Road climb, 10 kilometres from the finish of the 145km stage. With Tasmanian Richie Porte (Team SKY) on his wheel Evans powered up the hill surging clear of Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE). Evans then delivered a knockout surge that left Porte in his wake before he kicked his strong descending and time trial skills into gear to open up a lead on his pursuers.

“I had an idea of the opportunity I could get on Corkscrew climb and I knew what to do,” said Evans after sailing down the home straight on a sea of cheers from an adoring crowd. “My team did a fantastic job to position me where I had to be. I had been training well but winning is what we are here for.

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Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) leaves Richie Porte (Team SKY) in his wake as he surges clear. Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo 

“It’s amazing to be back racing in Australia and win,” Evans explained. “A stage race is all about the leader’s jersey and time bonus is the key to win this race overall.”

Evans collected a 10 second time bonus which, along with the 15 second lead he had at the finish line, has put him 12 seconds clear of Gerrans in the race for the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under crown.

“We’ll see how it goes in the next stages,” said Evans cautiously. “I haven’t won the GC yet.”

Australian Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp) led home the chasing group of twelve riders to place second with yesterday’s stage winner Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) of Italy third. Ulissi is also sitting third overall, 15 seconds off the lead.

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Veteran professional Jens Voigt (Trek Factory Racing ) in the breakaway. Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo 

For Gerrans it was about limiting his time loss as he watched Evans ride clear on the Category One graded climb that features steep, challenging switchbacks.

“The Corkscrew is one of the toughest climbs, especially when it comes at such a crucial part of the stage,” said Gerrans who is now in second place overall, 12 seconds off Evans lead. “Everyone is going 100 percent and that was their opportunity to make their mark on the race.

“Cadel (Evans) and Richie (Porte) jumped on the steep section. I sort of bided my time, and then accelerated over toward them,” Gerrans explained. “I got to Richie, but Cadel slipped away. Then he managed to pull away on the downhill. The difficult part of that downhill, is that you only need five seconds, and you’re out of sight. I didn’t spot him again until we got near the bottom.

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Overnight leader Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) limits his losses on Corkscrew. Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo  

“It won’t be easy to get back [the time], but it’s not impossible,” said Gerrans who leads the Adam Internet Sprint competition. “It’s not going to be easy for Cadel. We’re going to throw everything at him, that’s for sure.”

” I’m disappointed to lose the ochre jersey but it’s not over.” Evans and Porte are tipped to be major rivals for Grand Tour honours at this year’s Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) but today Evans was clearly superior.

“Cadel was absolutely flying, I tried to go with him in those hairpins, I couldn’t stay with him, and he got away,” said Porte. “It’s a little disappointing, but Saturday is another hilltop finish, I am quite hopeful we have the team to at least get up there on the podium.

“Yesterday, they were saying the same thing about Simon [that the race is over]. I guess Saturday will decide it all,” said Porte.

The head of the BMC Team Performance Director, Australian Allan Peiper, says it was a fantastic day for the team. “Cadel did all that was expected of him, and more,” said Peiper. “We’re excited about his win, and it should make for a more exciting race.

“Tactically, we made it hard in the last part of the stage, and we had the whole team there for Cadel,” explained Peiper of the plan hatched to put Evans in the lead. It’s still four months to go to the Giro, but this is all part of the effort to build up Cadel for May.

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The Santos Ochre Leaders Jersey for Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo 

“This win is important for his confidence,” said Peiper. “Everyone can see the happiness that he has when he’s riding his bike. He might underestimate the boost he’s had from the Australian public, from the national championships, and racing this week.”

Fans turned out in force today with 118 thousand making their way out to support the riders who have been treating them to a feast of world class cycling. The 150 kilometre stage began in the Adelaide shopping precinct of Norwood, headed into the Adelaide Hills and circled back to contest the aptly named Corkscrew Rd climb before a fast, downhill run to the finish line in Campbelltown.

Soon after the peloton rolled out for the start the expected early attack was launched this time by Australian Travis Meyer (Drapac) who was joined by French cyclist Jérôme Cousin of Team Europcar. Astana’s Andriy Grivko (UKR) headed out to join them and a short time later Germany’s Jens Voigt (Trek Factory Racing) completed the quartet in front.

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The start of the Thomas Foods Stage 3 in Norwood. Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo  

The four riders set up a lead of between two and three minutes with the peloton riding tempo to keep them within striking distance. At the first of the day’s two Adam Internet intermediate sprints at Kersbrook (39km) it was Meyer who claimed the top points ahead of Grivko and Cousin.

The second sprint at Williamstown, 53 kilometres into the stage went to Grivko with Meyer second and Cousin third across the line.

Soon after the halfway mark Cousin dropped back to the peloton while the lead trio rode ahead in the hope of staying clear. But with overall honours and the Skoda King of the Mountain on the line their lead dwindled and with 17 kilometres remaining the race regrouped.

Lotto Belisol drove the pace to give their man Adam Hansen the best possible chance to defend his lead in the Skoda King of the Mountain classification while the teams of Evans, Porte, Gerrans and Ulissi assigned lieutenants to their leaders for the decisive ascent.

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ŠKODA King of the Mountain leader Adam Hansen (Lotto –Belisol). Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo 

Hansen didn’t figure in the placings at the top of Corkscrew as Gerrans, Porte and Haas trailed Evans across the summit but Hansen’s overnight points tally of 20 was enough to keep him in the lead, ahead of Will Clarke (Drapac) also on 20 and Evans who claimed 16 points on today’s stage.

“I wasn’t so good, actually,” said Hansen. “BMC set a high pace on the climb and I went hard too early but I was still with the big names in the first group.

“Now I hope for a good GC (overall placing) at the end of the Santos Tour Down Under, that’s my priority.”

Frenchman Kenny Elissonde (FDJ.fr) has taken over the lead in the Cycle Instead Young Rider competition. He is sitting 18th overall at 1:01 from Evans and is 17 seconds clear of his nearest rival.

“This was very hard,” he exclaimed after the presentation. “We rode so fast before the Corkscrew climb. But my team-mates positioned me very well even though it was a short climb and not exactly to my taste. It shows the trust they have in me, so the jersey I get now belongs to the team more than to myself,” said Elissonde. “This is not high mountains, so I’m not in my comfort zone, but that’s how I can improve my cycling.”

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The Europcar Most Competitive Rider award for the day went to Jens Voigt (Trek Factory Racing). Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo

The Europcar Most Competitive award of the day went to the oldest rider in the peloton, Jens Voigt, who at 42 is racing what is tipped to be his last year in the professional ranks.

“I picked today’s stage to break away because nobody else did but I knew that it was close to impossible to go for the stage win,” said Voigt who is one of the most popular figures in world cycling. “We never had more than two and half minutes lead because Andrey Grivko was at 21 seconds (off the overall lead), he wouldn’t get any freedom.

“I might be getting old but I still have high expectations about myself,” said Voigt. “It’s because of self respect that I feel obliged to show my face to the people. I don’t want to be just a number in the bunch. On the road side, every second or third spectator yelled my name. The crowd has enjoyed the show, apparently!”

Spaniard Rafael Valls was unable to start today’s stage after scans revealed a fractured humerus bone in his arm. Instead he headed to SportsMed SA for surgery to pin the break he sustained when he crashed during yesterday’s racing.

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Katusha on the front working hard to bring the race back together. Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo  

Tomorrow’s action will kick off with the Bupa Challenge Tour, a recreational ride enjoyed by thousands of people from around Australia and the world. The participants can choose one of three start locations, all finishing under the official Bupa Stage 4 finish arch in Victor Harbor. The peloton will follow them later in the day departing from the cosmopolitan Adelaide suburb of Unley and heading out through the Adelaide Hills to the beautiful Fleruieu Peninsula to the finish line at the coastal holiday town of Victor Harbor.

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Classification Results

Santos Ochre Leader – Cadel Evans (AUS | BMC Racing Team)
Adam Internet Sprint Leader – Simon Gerrans (AUS | Orica-GreenEDGE)
Skoda King of the Mountain leader – Adam Hansen (AUS | Lotto-Belisol)
Cycle Instead Young Rider leader -Kenny Elissonde (FRA | FDJ.fr)
Europcar Most Competitive Rider – Jens Voigt (GER | Trek Factory Racing)
Hindmarsh Leading Team – BMC Racing Team

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Orica – GreenEdge controlling the peloton for the moment on the climb with Evans not far behind ready for the challenge - Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo

RESULTS

1 EVANS Cadel, BMC Racing Team 03:34:05
2 HAAS Nathan, Garmin – Sharp 00:15
3 ULISSI Diego, Lampre – Merida
4 HANSEN Adam, Lotto Belisol Team
5 GERRANS Simon, Orica GreenEDGE
6 SUTHERLAND Rory, Tinkoff-Saxo
7 BOOKWALTER Brent, BMC Racing Team
8 HERMANS Ben, BMC Racing Team
9 IMPEY Daryl, Orica GreenEDGE
10 GESINK Robert, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
11 PORTE Richie, Team Sky
12 SILIN Egor, Team Katusha
13 THOMAS Geraint, Team Sky
14 ROUX Anthony, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr 00:43
15 BAKELANTS Jan, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
16 CLARKE Simon, Orica GreenEDGE
17 ELISSONDE Kenny, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
18 DIDIER Laurent, Trek Factory Racing
19 GESCHKE Simon, Team Giant-Shimano 01:00
20 BAUER Jack, Garmin – Sharp
21 WACKERMANN Luca, Lampre – Merida
22 BENNETT George, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
23 VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael, Tinkoff-Saxo
24 FAIRLY Caleb, Garmin – Sharp
25 HAIG Jack, UniSA-Australia
26 HUCKER Robbie, Drapac Professional Cycling
27 PLAZA MOLINA Rubén, Movistar Team
28 BOUET Maxime, AG2R La Mondiale
29 SCHLECK Fränk, Trek Factory Racing
30 VORGANOV Eduard, Team Katusha
31 SOUPE Geoffrey, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
32 DOMONT Axel, AG2R La Mondiale
33 GIACOPPO Anthony, UniSA-Australia 01:34
34 BROECKX Stig, Lotto Belisol Team
35 O’ BRIEN Mark, UniSA-Australia
36 SULZBERGER Bernard, Drapac Professional Cycling
37 MORENO BAZAN Javier, Movistar Team
38 WURF Cameron, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
39 ARASHIRO Yukiya, Team Europcar
40 LAPTHORNE Darren, Drapac Professional Cycling
41 AGNOLI Valerio, Astana Pro Team 02:19
42 CLEMENT Stef, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
43 EARLE Nathan, Team Sky
44 GAVAZZI Francesco, Astana Pro Team
45 THURAU Bjorn, Team Europcar
46 TANKINK Bram, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
47 VERONA QUINTANILLA Carlos, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
48 TULIK Angelo, Team Europcar
49 DEIGNAN Philip, Team Sky
50 PAUWELS Serge, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
51 MCCARTHY Jay, Tinkoff-Saxo
52 MORABITO Steve, BMC Racing Team
53 JUUL-JENSEN Christopher, Tinkoff-Saxo
54 GASPAROTTO Enrico, Astana Pro Team
55 ROELANDTS Jurgen, Lotto Belisol Team 03:17
56 HUPOND Thierry, Team Giant-Shimano
57 WATSON Calvin, Trek Factory Racing 03:25
58 MORI Manuele, Lampre – Merida
59 LINFIELD Bradley, UniSA-Australia
60 MORTON Lachlan, Garmin – Sharp 04:02
61 DURBRIDGE Luke, Orica GreenEDGE 04:17
62 ERVITI OLLO Imanol, Movistar Team
63 GUTIERREZ PALACIOS Jose Iván, Movistar Team
64 KOCHETKOV Pavel, Team Katusha
65 VAN POPPEL Boy, Trek Factory Racing
66 VAN POPPEL Danny, Trek Factory Racing
67 DE KORT Koen, Team Giant-Shimano
68 HAYMAN Mathew, Orica GreenEDGE
69 VON HOFF Steele, Garmin – Sharp
70 CANTWELL Jonathan, Drapac Professional Cycling
71 FELLINE Fabio, Trek Factory Racing
72 DENNIS Rohan, Garmin – Sharp
73 MOINARD Amaël, BMC Racing Team
74 DEKKER Thomas, Garmin – Sharp
75 WYSS Danilo, BMC Racing Team
76 STANNARD Ian, Team Sky
77 BERARD Julien, AG2R La Mondiale 05:28
78 ZABEL Rick, BMC Racing Team 05:44
79 BONNET William, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
80 COURTEILLE Arnaud, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
81 MOHORIC Matej, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
82 BOIVIN Guillaume, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
83 HUFFMAN Evan, Astana Pro Team
84 BOBRIDGE Jack, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
85 REZA Kevin, Team Europcar
86 WESTRA Lieuwe, Astana Pro Team
87 PORSEV Alexander, Team Katusha 06:22
88 ALAPHILIPPE Julian, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
89 SULZBERGER Wesley, Drapac Professional Cycling
90 RENSHAW Mark, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
91 VEIKKANEN Jussi, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
92 VOIGT Jens, Trek Factory Racing 06:55
93 EISEL Bernhard, Team Sky
94 ARNDT Nikias, Team Giant-Shimano
95 BETTIOL Alberto, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
96 KRIZEK Matthias, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
97 GREIPEL Andre, Lotto Belisol Team
98 FROHLINGER Johannes, Team Giant-Shimano
99 SIEBERG Marcel, Lotto Belisol Team
100 KITTEL Marcel, Team Giant-Shimano
101 SøRENSEN Nicki, Tinkoff-Saxo
102 KOLAR Michael, Tinkoff-Saxo
103 TRUSOV Nikolay, Tinkoff-Saxo
104 BELKOV Maxim, Team Katusha
105 QUEMENEUR Perrig, Team Europcar
106 LOBATO DEL VALLE Juan Jose, Movistar Team
107 EWAN Caleb, UniSA-Australia
108 DEBUSSCHERE Jens, Lotto Belisol Team
109 ROWE Luke, Team Sky
110 FENN Andrew, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
111 FLENS Rick, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
112 PETERSON Tom, Team Giant-Shimano
113 GRIVKO Andriy, Astana Pro Team 08:54
114 BONO Matteo, Lampre – Merida 09:20
115 FERRARI Roberto, Lampre – Merida
116 VIVIANI Elia, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team 10:11
117 CIMOLAI Davide, Lampre – Merida
118 IGNATYEV Mikhail, Team Katusha
119 KAISEN Olivier, Lotto Belisol Team 10:46
120 CLARKE William, Drapac Professional Cycling
121 MEYER Travis, Drapac Professional Cycling 11:35
122 HALLER Marco, Team Katusha 11:44
123 FLAKEMORE Campbell, UniSA-Australia
124 GUARNIERI Jacopo, Astana Pro Team
125 TRENTIN Matteo, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
126 VAN DER PLOEG Neil, UniSA-Australia
127 GOSS Matthew, Orica GreenEDGE
128 BROWN Graeme, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
129 MATTHEWS Michael, Orica GreenEDGE
130 LECUISINIER Pierre-Henri, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
131 BONNAFOND Guillaume, AG2R La Mondiale
132 GAUDIN Damien, AG2R La Mondiale 11:57
133 DANIEL Maxime, AG2R La Mondiale 14:51
134 TURGOT Sébastien, AG2R La Mondiale
135 COUSIN Jérôme, Team Europcar

OVERALL
1 EVANS Cadel, BMC Racing Team 10:46:39
2 GERRANS Simon, Orica GreenEDGE 00:12
3 ULISSI Diego, Lampre – Merida 00:15
4 HAAS Nathan, Garmin – Sharp 00:27
5 GESINK Robert, Belkin Pro Cycling Team 00:29
6 THOMAS Geraint, Team Sky
7 IMPEY Daryl, Orica GreenEDGE 00:33
8 BOOKWALTER Brent, BMC Racing Team
9 SUTHERLAND Rory, Tinkoff-Saxo
10 HERMANS Ben, BMC Racing Team
11 PORTE Richie, Team Sky
12 SILIN Egor, Team Katusha
13 HANSEN Adam, Lotto Belisol Team
14 DIDIER Laurent, Trek Factory Racing 01:01
15 ROUX Anthony, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
16 CLARKE Simon, Orica GreenEDGE
17 BAKELANTS Jan, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
18 ELISSONDE Kenny, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
19 GESCHKE Simon, Team Giant-Shimano 01:13
20 BOUET Maxime, AG2R La Mondiale 01:14

 2014 Santos Tour Down Under
Friday 24 January – Bupa Stage 4 – Unley to Victor Harbor (148.5km)
Saturday 25 January – Pure Blonde Stage 5 – McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill (151.5km)
Sunday 26 January – Be Safe Be Seen, MAC Stage 6 – Adelaide (95km)

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