The last day for the GC riders to make an impact before the sprinters took control again on the final stage, this penultimate day in the Tour Down Under would decide the overall outcome of the race. Despite working hard through the day, and finishing strongly on the final climb, taking 5th on the stage, Jay McCarthy narrowly missed out on a podium spot, going into the final day in Adelaide 4th in the overall standings.
The briefest look at the profile of today’s 151.5km Tour Down Under stage would show where the day’s action was going to take place. As the penultimate stage, and the last opportunity for the GC riders to have an impact, the day – and the race – would be decided by Willunga Hill. The climb, which has been pivotal on previous editions of the race, dominated the parcours. Climbed at the 120km mark and again for the day’s finale, riders would be looking here for their opportunity to take the GC.
While the first break of the day didn’t stick, it wasn’t long before a group of four managed to escape up the road. The peloton was untroubled by this and allowed the quartet to stay out in front, choosing to save their energy for the last 30km, and this showed in the gap, which quickly rose to more than two minutes, before hitting three minutes at the 30km to go point. While the bunch started to slowly reduce this advantage, the catch wasn’t made before the first ascent of the Willunga climb, meaning it would all come down to the second climb for the race’s finish.
With the first climb of Willunga Hill out of the way and the pace rising in the peloton, the gap came down rapidly, the escapees gradually dropping off the front. By the time the second climb came around, it was all back together and the race was on. As the road kicked up, riders were spat out the back of the peloton, including some of Jay McCarthy’s GC rivals, the Australian working hard to stay in contention having moved into a podium position. A clipped wheel a short distance from the summit put Jay into difficulty, and in spite of finishing 5th on the stage, the time bonuses accrued by his rivals put the BORA-hansgrohe rider back into 4th position in the overall standings.
Jay was disappointed with the outcome but was pleased with the support from his teammates on a hard day in the saddle. “It’s a tough result to just finish off the podium after today’s stage. The boys rode really well and we were calm during the first 110km of the race. Coming into the first climb we were in a good position and weren’t stressed, and coming into the final we had a bit of a crosswind but I had Peter still with me and he kept me calm. We came into the final climb in a good position and at the bottom I could see a couple of the guys behind me in the GC that were struggling, so I didn’t follow Richie Porte in the last kilometre – I knew that his acceleration would be too much for me, so I stayed with Chaves and we brought Henao back in. Coming into the final 1.5km I touched wheels with Henao and I had to stop and restart and just as that happened Haas and Ulissi came back coming into the final. I gave it everything to the line but I couldn’t quite get the seconds I needed for the podium. I’m a bit disappointed but I rode my best.”
Sports Director, Steffen Radochla, was impressed with the team’s performance and how they supported Jay throughout the stage. “It was a really tough stage for Jay today. He was fighting for the podium and he gave it his best and the team worked really well on the final climb as well. Some metres before the finish line we were thinking he was on the podium in the GC but Nathan Haas took some seconds and overtook him in the GC. We’re still 4th though and with this result now we’re really confident.”
Tomorrow, the race returns to the city of Adelaide for a criterium-style finale. Centring on King William Road, the 4.5km circuit will be ridden twenty times over the day’s 90km distance. With the GC having been decided today, tomorrow will see the sprinters fight it out among themselves for the last chance to take a stage win. The gently-undulating parcours won’t trouble the fast men over such a short distance, and it’ll likely be fast and furious from the drop of the flag.
