- Distance
- 151.5km
- Start Location
- McLaren Vale
- End Location
- Old Willunga Hill
Tell us what you think! Use the hashtag #cyclingnewstdu in your tweets
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Tour Down Under's queen stage, a 151.5 kilometre journey around the McLaren Vale and Willunga areas.
The parcours will test the legs of the best riders, with the two times up Old Willunga Hill along with the uphill finish certain to define the general classification. Adding to the drama, there is only 12 seconds separating some 45 riders, something that could produce a very unexpected winner.
One thing's for sure - If you win today you'll win the Tour. Enjoy the live coverage!
Thanks for joining us. I'll be going straight into the reports.
3rd was Rogers I think?
Valverde will get it on stage wins.
10 seconds in bonuses each.
Valverde and Gerrans will be tied on GC.
Valverde wins it from Gerrans.
Boasson Hagen gone!
Rogers attacks!
Gerrans looks comfortable. Here we go.
Valverde and Gerrans have timed this perfectly.
It's coming back together!
Rogers is doing his best to cross the gap. Willunga is sorting the men from the boys here.
Race will be won by Dennis or Machado,
Final two kilometres. Machado and Dennis looking comfortable.
Pate dropped.
Dennis attack!
Rohan Dennis looking really good says Roelandts.
Machado is on the front.
Leaders on the climb, they are:
Rohan Dennis (Team UniSA-Australia)
Danny Pate (Sky Procycling)
José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Movistar Team)
Tiago Machado (RadioShack-Nissan)
Entering the final 5 kilometres. Danny Pate making a move.
Absolute suffer fest at the front.
RadioShack and Movistar still best represented. Sky looking good as well.
Movistar and RadioShack swapping off, mouths open.
Valverde, Gerrans, Boasson Hagen, Kohler, Matthews, Bernard Sulzberger all there.
No Lloyd in front group. Valverde, Gerrans, Boasson Hagen, Kohler, Matthews, Bernard Sulzberger.
Haas is caught. No more than 25 riders in the front group. Kohler has made it across.
Gutierrez (Movistar) is going across the gap.
Haas should sit up, he's only 4 seconds ahead.
Haas about to get caught. We're hearing that Kohler is in a chase group around 30 seconds behind the leaders.
Roelandts says Voigt is an incredible rider.
Peloton is now looking like smaller and smaller. Voigt, Rojas are laying it on the line.
Peloton is only 30 riders. Movistar and RadioShack have now taken control. Haas' gap is going down. Soon to be caught.
King of the mountain classification is equal. Dennis and De Gendt both have 24 points.
Peloton on the descent.
De Gendt gets second place on the climb. Dennis gets third. That might just be enough for Dennis to keep the jersey.
On to the descent - can he hang on. Lets see how far back the peloton is.
16 points for Nathan Haas.
Haas closing in on the top of the climb. Massive crowds.
O'Grady dropping back to help GreenEdge.
Gerrans right at front with Lloyd behind. Kohler looks comfortable. The headwind is making it hard for them to get rid of Kohler.
De Gendt wants second on the climb. He's going after Haas.
Movistar atttacks in the big ring. Now in the small chain ring.
Durbridge is done for the day, he's blown up and is getting dropped.
Haas attacks on Willunga.
GreenEdge on the front, O'Grady is sitting on in the break.
The crowds are always amazing on Willunga says Roelandts. Same again today.
Von Hoff has had a puncture. That's race over today for him.
BMC drilling it on the front as the break gets on the climb.
Roelandts thinks that around 40 riders will get over the first climb up Willunga together.
Oops 30 kilometres to go.
Peloton strung out in chase of the peloton.
JR: Rik Verbrugge was telling me that when Chavanel had the same injury he was back on the bike in three weeks so who knows?
JR: Hopefully I'll be back halfway through March. I have to put my health first, but that's what I hope.
JR: I'm wearing the neck brace for 6 more weeks; I need to wait till the bone heals properly.
JR: Yesterday I was talking to Rik Verbrugge and he said that Kohler is in really good condition. They have a lot of confidence in him. They're riding at the front for him.
AH: Do you think whoever wins today will win the race?
JR: Yep absolutely, the bonus at the finish will be enough for the winner to take the overall.
JR: Just told me he was following the #cyclingnewstdu coverage from hospital. Where else would you get coverage.
JR: I'm happy that I'm out of the hospital, and I'm happy about that.
JR: I think Hansen is in really good condition and he can be right up there. But my favourites for the day are Sanchez, Valverde and Gerrans.
Lampre-ISD on the front controlling things for Lloyd.
Going to get some of Jurgen's thoughts on how his Lotto-Belisol team will be taking on the next few minutes.
Alright, with Jurgen Roelandts sitting next to me now. Race approaching the tougher stages of the race.
Lloyd has arrived at the front of the peloton with his Lampre-ISD teammates, not going to risk the echelons costing him the race after the panic of earlier.
#tdu #cyclingnewstdu PETA disclaimer- no cats were actually scalded in the race.
@cycle_insider Sat, 21st Jan 2012 03:26:42
Gap is stopped coming down at 3:30. Peloton wise in not wanting to bring it back too quickly. That would be inviting chaos.
Break approaching the final time on this McLaren Vale circuit.
Spint results:
1: Thomas de Gendt
2: Stuart O'Grady
3: Andrew Fenn
Peloton has reformed at the back.
Sprint once again uncontested.
Goddaert dropped after having a mechanical. Front group is now five.
Neutral support has been asked to remove themselves from the gap between the break and the main field. Gap must be really falling away.
Lloyd could be seeing the race slip from his hands.
Roelandts is wearing a neck brace after fracturing his sixth vertebrae on stage one. He came back to the hotel two nights ago. Great to see him down here with us.
We've just had Jurgen Roelandts join us in the media centre.
Just over 50 kilometres to go. We're getting close to Old Willunga Hill.
Matt Lloyd off the back in the second group of 30 riders.
Sky have come to the front to join BMC and Movistar.
Motorbike says gap is 4:20, still falling.
Small group of riders are off the back. They've asked the convoy to come our of the gap between the peloton and the dropped riders.
BMC seem very confident in Kohler. Don't write him off.
This is the final lap now of the Port Willunga course before the riders head out to tackle Old Willunga Hill.
Split has finished. Pace is still on though.
Riders getting spat out the back. We've still got close to 60 kilometres to go, but looks like these guys don't want to wait till Willunga.
Feed finished and now it's BMC and Movistar going mental. Alessandro Ballan has led an echelon of less than 30 riders.
Gap down to 4:50, second sprint prime coming up.
Perhaps the pace rise was just to get their leaders in position for the feed. Didn't look like it though!
Musettes at the ready.
Just passing through the offical feed zone.
Now Liquigas and Movistar coming to the front. Lotto-Belisol only have Hansen capable of riding well on Willunga. He must be feeling really good if they're so aggressive in the drive.
Does Greipel want the sprint? Really? He's already far enough ahead surely...
They're smashing it at the front.
Lotto-Belisol looking to create an echelon.
Gap is falling quite quickly now. They seem intent on bringing it back.
That's good news, they've done been very hospitable this year. Event is getting bigger and bigger ever year.
Santos confirms further 3 years of sponsorship of Tour Down Under.
Mick Rogers and Team Sky told me that they'll be trying to make things as hard as possible today. Boasson Hagen is climbing really well and will mark the other favourites. Rogers will have a free role.
Right back at you slick!
@al_hinds I'm just teasing. Love you! #cyclingnewstdu
@UCI_Overlord Sat, 21st Jan 2012 02:34:13
Gap is down to 7:35. Some reaction from BMC.
Sorry to clarify with our trivia question. Only two Australians have won the stage when the race has passed over Willunga Hill - not worried about the overall!
Gap has finally stabilised, slightly down at 8:10.
Today's question: Since 2003 only three Australians have won when the race has passed over Willunga Hill. Allan Davis is the one but who are the other two?
If you want to be in the hunt today remember you have to have the #cyclingnewstdu hastag and have the correct answer.
Ok so today's trivia question - but before that, yesterday's winner was @ricksjordan.
Peloton just went through the prime, still Movistar and BMC patrolling the front. Who's going to chase?
Gap out to 8 minutes.
It was uncontested though.
Kristof Goddaert (AG2R La Mondiale) takes first sprint points.
2. Fenn (Omega Pharma-Quickstep)
3. O'Grady (GreenEdge)
No sprint as they go through the first prime.
This break obviously not just in it for the TV time.
De Gendt will likely have his eyes on getting over Willunga the first time up, so he can bank the King of the Mountains points on offer. He's currently on 12 points but the 16 points on offer would be enough to seal it for him.
Current leader Rohan Dennis (UniSA) is on 16 points.
De Gendt now 11 seconds off virtual race lead.
You will indeed! question will be released in the next 30 minutes.
Will we have a chance to be re-shod today? Vapour Time ? #cyclingnewstdu
@jackiecav1 Sat, 21st Jan 2012 02:02:40
Gap now out 7:25, De Gendt 30 seconds off virtual race lead.
Says he's happy to support the team in his 20th year of involvement in cycling.
Gerry Ryan says the team budget for GreenEdge is between 10 and 12 million Euros a year, including the women and AIS squads.
Brad McGee thinks it could be a Criterium International kind of day. Perhaps one for Radioshack-Nissan's Tiago Machado who's finished in the top 5 there two years in a row.
Bradley McGee (ds Saxo Bank):
“Because of the wind, the first of the three laps make the race like a Belgian classic and the two laps around Willunga like a Criterium International type of finish.
"The wind and the possible echelons will ruin some legs but it’ll not ruin the plans of those who are expected to contest the stage win in an uphill sprint. Valverde is a logical favorite."
love it, Peiper gives Haas the universal symbol for ride the break, don't work the break: index & mid finger simulating pedaling 'piano'
@Bridie_OD Sat, 21st Jan 2012 01:46:54
Gap now out to 7 minutes. De Gendt getting close to being virtual leader. Wonder if that will mark any change in the chase.
GreenEdge and Movistar also talked about laying down an infernal pace before the first time up Willunga.
I spoke to a few riders about just how decisive Willunga will be today. The consensus seems to be that there will be no more than 10 riders at the finish.
Break extending still. Gap now 6:30.
Big Marcus Burghardt rocking away on the front for BMC. Cadel Evans described the German as "unbelievably strong, and able to sit in the wind all day," in a media conferene a few days ago. He'll be doing a fair bit of that today I imagine.
Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Belisol) going back to the team car for bidons.
Movistar seem really confident. They've assumed a commanding role right near the front behind BMC.
It's really windy in Willunga today. Gusty 40 plus kilometre/hour cross winds.
Break is working well together. Would love to see Stuart O'Grady do well today.
Voigt (RadioShack) taking a nature break.
Time gap out a little more to 5 minutes 40 seconds. They won't want to give these guys too much time. It's a strong combination of riders.
Clarke has rejoined the back of the peloton.
Movistar with a rider at the front no allowing the break to extend too far.
This is going to be a long change, Clarke is going to be right at the back of the convoy.
Will Clarke (UniSA) looks to have a cleat problem.
Peloton travelling along the Esplanade. Beautiful beachside road outside Adelaide. I'd be happy to retire here.
Break riding along Aldinga beachside setting.
Peloton taking a nature break. Kohler as overall leader declares it, the others follow.
Jose Ivan Gutierrez spoke to Jean Francois Quenet at the stage start who has confidence in his Movistar teammate Valverde to do the job today:
"Do you think that Alejandro Valverde will win today? We think so too! That’s why we are here and that’s why we have done so much work to be in the current position.
"Alejandro is 4 seconds down on Boasson Hagen and Gerrans. With the time bonus, shall he win today, the chance is high that he wins the overall too. He’s the best in the world for an uphill finish like Willunga.
"The other rider able to challenge him is Philippe Gilbert but he’s not racing here. It’ll be interesting to see the duel in Europe in April!! Gilbert has had one good year, Alejandro has had a few."
All the guys in the break are not real general classification threats. Highest placed is De Gendt who is 7:51 down on our leader Martin Kohler.
Ok so we have the full composition of the break.
Stuart O'Grady (GreenEdge Cycling Team), Takashi Miyazawa (Team Saxo Bank), Nathan Haas (Garmin-Barracuda), Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team), Andrew Fenn (Omega Pharma - QuickStep), Kristof Goddaert (AG2R La Mondiale).
We think the AG2R rider in the break is Matteo Trentin.
Tight bend for the peloton. Bunch almost comes to a stand still. Still no chase, BMC riding false tempo for Kohler.
No chase from the peloton. Spread across the road, obviously happy with the content of the escape.
Japanese rider Miyazawa (Saxo Bank) is in there, as is Nathan Haas (Garmin), Stuart O'Grady (GreenEdge) and..
5 riders trying to get across to De Gendt.
Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) lost time yesterday but he's on the attack right now. Gap is 150 metres.
Peloton being strung out big time. Slight split at the front. Don't think these guys will get away though,
Neutral zone ends and the attacks go straight away!
Riders spread across the road riding an easy tempo. I'm sure Kohler would be happy to have everyone ride this pace to the finish. He'll be put under plenty of pressure today.
We're currently in the neutral zone. The red flag on the lead car is still up.
Matthew Lloyd (Lampre-ISD) has been talked about a lot. He was in top form at the national championships, and he's a big threat on WIllunga. Here are his thoughts:
"It’s not the longest or hardest climb in the world, everyone knows that. It is what it is. You’ve just got to make the most of it. It’s just a simple matter of going up there and making the right move at the right time.
"Because it is quite windy, it’s just a matter of sticking with the right people. Trying to drop the bombs at the right time."
Martin Kohler (BMC) is of course our overall leader, but with big gaps expected today, the advantages at least in my eyes are irrelevant.
The racing kicks off at 11:10 AM today. It should be an absolute cracker. Hope everyone's excited as I am.
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