The breakaway dominated much of today’s fourth stage of the Tour Down Under. However, after leading for much of the 149.5km route, the sprinters again swallowed up the escape with kilometres to spare and fought it out for glory at the finish line. The UCI World Champion, Peter Sagan, jumped from wheel to wheel in a tough finale, taking second.
The road from the day’s start in Norwood to the finish in Campbelltown is less than 10km on the map, but the Tour Down Under today managed to eke it out to 149.5km. This undulating out and back route – the first of this year’s Tour not to feature a circuit – climbed into the Adelaide hills before heading back into the city for the bumpy, slightly uphill finale.
The parkour, while undulating, did not feature any particularly challenging climbs, and encouraged aggressive riding. From the off, a three-man breakaway went up the road and stayed out much of the day. However, despite their best efforts to make the attack stick, the break began to fall apart with 50km to race, with counter attacks from the peloton. The final man pushed hard, but was reeled in with just a few kilometres to go.
As the finish drew close, it was clear that while the final kilometre, with its uphill gradient, would make it hard for the fast men, the sprinters were going to have another go at the win. As riders jostled for position, the UCI World Champion, Peter Sagan, was held up as the sprinters clashed in the run in. Having to make his way around different riders’ wheels in his charge for the line, the Slovakian rider still managed to take second after another hard effort. Finishing strong with the sprinters, Jay McCarthy maintained his hold on 4th spot in the GC, just two seconds off a podium spot ahead of a day that could shake up the final standings.
Speaking from the finish, Peter was pleased with the support he received from the team throughout the day in the tough heat. “Although I would have, obviously, liked to win, I’m satisfied with today’s result. The squad, again, did an excellent job, but I think I might have started my sprint a bit too late. However, the sensations are good, even if the heat takes its toll. Tomorrow, we have an important day where Jay will fight for his GC chances and I will give it a try again on Sunday.”
Sports Director and Coach, Patxi Vila, explained how the team pulled together during the day. “The plan was to bring Peter protected and in a good position for the final sprint. The breakaway was kept under control and we put Gregor Mühlberger and Lukas Pöstlberger to work. In the final kilometres, we had Michael Kolar, Sam Bennett and Rudi Selig that did a great job in delivering Peter to the bunch sprint. He was beaten on the line – maybe his timing wasn’t perfect but we are very pleased with the overall performance of the team.”
Stage 5 on Saturday is the race’s longest day. The 151.5km route takes place in the City of Onkaparinga to the south of Adelaide, and centres around two circuits of the city’s Main Road. The first circuit is ridden three times – a shallow route that takes in the west coast, before heading to the 7.4% Willunga Hill for the day’s King of the Mountain points and the stage finish. The final climb is the last major feature of the race before the Tour’s finish in Adelaide on Sunday, and will see riders looking to settle the GC race ahead of the last day.
