Caleb Ewan claims ochre jersey on Tour Down Under stage two
Caleb Ewan claimed the leader's ochre jersey with a surprise victory on stage two of the Tour Down Under that he admitted "didn't really suit" him.
Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) attacked the pack on the crest of the hill into Stirling to surprise the general classification riders and change the assumed outcome of a stage earmarked for the climbers.
Ewan's Mitchelton-Scott teammate, Daryl Impey, finished strongly to come second behind his leader, while Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) came in third, just ahead of Sagan.
Ewan, who'd finish second in the People's Choice Classic and stage one on Sunday and Tuesday respectively, was very grateful to his teammates: "For them to back me on a stage that doesn't really suit me means a lot."
"I'm so out of breath right now. It was a super tough finish and it was one where we were so unsure about whether I'd make it over the top but the boys put me in a perfect position again.
"I hid pretty well in the field. I've done this circuit before so I know where I can relax and when I need to be at the front. They knew the same thing so we relaxed when we could and then went hard when we needed to.
"It's good to get the confidence back after the first couple of races and I'm so happy to be back in the ochre."
King of the Mountains Nicholas Dlamini (Dimension Data), Will Clarke (EF Education First-Drapac) and Scott Bowden (UniSA) formed a replica breakaway of stage one, and were joined by Jaime Castrillo (Movistar).
Bowden needed a drink and mechanical help at the most inopportune moment, leaving Dlamini and Clarke to battle for the KOM points and it was the 22-year old South African from Dimension Data who added to his grip over the polka dot jersey. At this point the break had four minutes over the peloton, but Dlamini, with no more objectives to ride for on the stage, dropped back to join the main field.
With such hot temperatures, the peloton allowed the break up to six minutes 30-seconds as the race entered 110km to go.
Clarke picked up maximum points at each of the intermediate sprint points, giving him six bonus seconds and making him the virtual race leader by two seconds, before he was called back to the peloton to focus on the run to the finish. This left 21-year old Castrillo up front on his own.
The peloton continued to reel in Castrillo as they began three laps of a 21km finish circuit around Stirling.
Steve Morabito (FDJ) suffered a nasty crash, dislocating his shoulder, but the tough Swiss popped it back in with the help of the medics and rode on.
With one lap to go, Castrillo's lead was cut to one minute and the Movistar man was eventually caught after 135km on the front.
Robert Gesink (Lotto NL-Jumbo) led the pack up the climb into Stirling, but it was a surprise attack from Sagan and Ewan as the hill crested that changed the assumed outcome.
Sagan charged for the line followed by Ewan, with Impey forging his own attack on the other side of the road.
Ewan jumped out from behind Sagan in the final metres to claim the stage victory, with Impey tucking in behind him and McCarthy overtaking Sagan.
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| Caleb Ewan has won seven of the last 14 Tour Down Under stages Picture credit: cyclingnews.com |
Ewan's Mitchelton-Scott teammate, Daryl Impey, finished strongly to come second behind his leader, while Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) came in third, just ahead of Sagan.
Ewan, who'd finish second in the People's Choice Classic and stage one on Sunday and Tuesday respectively, was very grateful to his teammates: "For them to back me on a stage that doesn't really suit me means a lot."
"I'm so out of breath right now. It was a super tough finish and it was one where we were so unsure about whether I'd make it over the top but the boys put me in a perfect position again.
"I hid pretty well in the field. I've done this circuit before so I know where I can relax and when I need to be at the front. They knew the same thing so we relaxed when we could and then went hard when we needed to.
"It's good to get the confidence back after the first couple of races and I'm so happy to be back in the ochre."
The Race
Stage two took the riders 148.6km from Unley to Stirling, heading south east of Adelaide.King of the Mountains Nicholas Dlamini (Dimension Data), Will Clarke (EF Education First-Drapac) and Scott Bowden (UniSA) formed a replica breakaway of stage one, and were joined by Jaime Castrillo (Movistar).
Bowden needed a drink and mechanical help at the most inopportune moment, leaving Dlamini and Clarke to battle for the KOM points and it was the 22-year old South African from Dimension Data who added to his grip over the polka dot jersey. At this point the break had four minutes over the peloton, but Dlamini, with no more objectives to ride for on the stage, dropped back to join the main field.
With such hot temperatures, the peloton allowed the break up to six minutes 30-seconds as the race entered 110km to go.
Clarke picked up maximum points at each of the intermediate sprint points, giving him six bonus seconds and making him the virtual race leader by two seconds, before he was called back to the peloton to focus on the run to the finish. This left 21-year old Castrillo up front on his own.
The peloton continued to reel in Castrillo as they began three laps of a 21km finish circuit around Stirling.
Steve Morabito (FDJ) suffered a nasty crash, dislocating his shoulder, but the tough Swiss popped it back in with the help of the medics and rode on.
With one lap to go, Castrillo's lead was cut to one minute and the Movistar man was eventually caught after 135km on the front.
Robert Gesink (Lotto NL-Jumbo) led the pack up the climb into Stirling, but it was a surprise attack from Sagan and Ewan as the hill crested that changed the assumed outcome.
Sagan charged for the line followed by Ewan, with Impey forging his own attack on the other side of the road.
Ewan jumped out from behind Sagan in the final metres to claim the stage victory, with Impey tucking in behind him and McCarthy overtaking Sagan.
Stage Two results
1. Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott)
2. Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott)
3. Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe)
4. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)
5. Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin)
6. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)
7. Gorka Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida)
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida)
9. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana)
10. Carlos Barbero (Movistar)
General classification
1. Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) in 7:54:00
2. Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) at 10"
3. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 12"
4. Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 12"
5. Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) at 15"
6. Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha-Alpecin) at 12"
7. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) at 16"
8. Simone Consonni (UAE-Team Emirates) at 16"
9. Carlos Barbero (Movistar) at 16"
10. Anthony Roux (FDJ) at 16"
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