3rd Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under

Australia, January 16 - 21, 2001

Complete Live Report

Stage 6 - January 21: City of Adelaide Circuit, 90 km

Start time: 13:00 - SA Time
Estimated finish time: 15:00

The final stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under promises to be a thriller. With two riders - Telekom's Kai Hundertmarck and Credit Agricole's Stuart O'Grady - locked on equal time on the general classification, sprint bonuses will decide this race. Several other riders have an excellent chance as well, including sprinter Fabio Sacchi (Saeco), Chris Jenner (CA), Daniele Nardello (Mapei), Alexandre Botcharov (Ag2r), Patrick Jonker (Big Mat) and Benoit Poilvet (CA).

There are three critical time bonuses on offer: Lap 8 (km 36), lap 12 (km 54) and the finish (km 90). If one rider wins them all, then they will have improved their time by 12 seconds.

There are also a couple of KOM sprints left as well, but it is highly unlikely that Robert Tighello will lose his jersey. The sprints are on lap 10 (km 45) and lap 15 (km 67.5) on Montefiore Hill.

12:45 - 0.0 km

It's a great atmosphere down in here front of the grandstand on King William St, overlooking the gothic spires of St Peters Cathedral. The Telekom team are camped on the median strip, having a last minute team meeting. Kai Hundertmarck is giving autographs with less than 15 minutes to the start.

The crowd is gathering in expectation of a very fast start. Several riders have a good chance to win, and the one that does will need a combination of luck, speed and perfect teamwork. Stuart O'Grady is in a good position to take the jersey, but Sacchi is a very good sprinter and Daniele Nardello is a strong rider as well. Kai Hundertmarck will have to work every inch of the way to hold onto his jersey.

13:00 - 0.0 km

Big Mat's Patrick Jonker spoke to cyclingnews.com before the start of the race. He has an outside chance of winning (he is 7th overall at 8 seconds) but "Yesterday was my day - I was away on the hill and I had 20 seconds on the field, but I got caught again. So I think it's going to be between the sprinters. It's more a sprinter's race than a climber's race. It's a tight course so that early position is important."

They're under way in the final stage. A Saeco rider leads around the first corner, followed by Robert Bartko and another Telekom rider in about 5th wheel.

13:06 - km 4.5

Matt Wilson (University of SA), Jay Sweet (Big Mat), Jakob Piil (CSC), and Luke Roberts (University SA) have attacked on the first lap, and have a 15 second gap on the field, which is being led by Saeco.

13:12 - km 9.0

Telekom are massed at the front of the peloton, letting the 4 riders get away to a 150m lead. Their tactic would be to let other riders eat up the time bonuses, to keep O'Grady or Sacchi from gaining.

Steve Williams is already struggling at the rear of the field.

13:17 - 13.5 km/76.5 km to go

By the end of the third lap, one rider has dropped off the break, leaving three dangling in front of a wall of Saeco and Telekom riders.

13:26 - 18 km/72 km to go

Matt Wilson is the rider who was dropped, leaving Sweet, Piil and Roberts in front with about a 9 second lead. O'Grady is glued to Hundermarck's wheel at the back of the Telekom train.

Steve Williams has abandoned after a mechanical on lap 2.

13:31 - 24 km/66 km to go

Graeme Brown needed a wheel change at 15 laps to go, and the team car went straight past. Nic Brown dropped back to help, and they eventually got the wheel changed. They are chasing hard now.

The three leaders have 80 meters.

13:36 - 30 km/ 60 km to go

Brown is being helped by his entire United Water team and should get back on. 11 riders have pulled out far due to the high speed. The first sprint is due soon though., and he will miss it.

The crowds are huge at the bottom of the course.

13:47 - 36 km/54 km to go

Graeme Brown has managed to rejoin the peloton, just before the first sprint after an incredible 50-55 km/h chase by his team. The break has been caught as well, and bunch is all together for this critical first sprint.

Sprint 1 results: 1. Danilo Hondo (Telekom) 2. Stuart O'Grady (Credit Agricole), 3. Fabio Sacchi (Saeco). So O'Grady now 'virtually' leads Hundertmarck by 2 seconds, with Sacchi in 3rd place, a second behind Hundertmarck (3-2-1 seconds bonus).

Crowd goes wild.

13:58 - 45 km/45 km to go

Kai Hundertmarck has punctured with two laps to go before the next sprint (km 54). His team has of course dropped back to help him get back on, because now he has lost the yellow jersey.

In the first sprint, it looked as though Graeme Brown actually led O'Grady out for it(!). Afterwards, there was a small break in the bunch where about 15-20 got off the front, but it came back together.

14:15 - 57 km/ 33 km to go

Robert Tighello (Sunsmart) wins the first KOM on lap 15, followed by 2. Rusell Van Hout (Uni SA) 3. Ben Day (Sunsmart), 4. Trent Wilson (Sunsmart) and 5. Steve Cunningham (Uni of SA) This means that Tighello has secured the jersey for certain.

There is still a lead group of about 15-20, followed by another similar sized group containing all the major players. They are a minute behind though, and Telekom and Seaco need to get their act together if they are to take the lead back.

The results of the second sprint: 1. Trent Wilson (Sunsmart), 2. Nic Brown (United Water), 3. Innar Mandoja (Ag2R).

14:27 - 66 km/24 km to go

A group has broken away from the leaders: Scott Davis (United Water), Luca Paolini (Mapei), Gerhard Trampusch (Telekom), Glenn D'Hollander (Lotto), Jorg Ludewig (Saeco), David McKenzie (Linda McCartney), Jay Sweet (Big Mat), Jakob Piil (CSC-World Online) are there, meaning that D'Hollander is leader on the road.

They have a small gap on a chasing group of 12, with the main peloton with O'Grady, Hundertmarck, Sacchi etc. at 3 minutes.

14:37 - 76 km/14 km to go

The results of the 2nd KOM: 1. Ben Day (Sunsmart), 2. Kurt Van Lancker (Lotto Adecco), 3. Gerhard Trampusch (Telekom) 4. David McKenzie (Linda McCartney), 5. Luca Paolini (Mapei).

Confirmation of the break - the 5 riders above as well as: Jakob Piil (CSC) Torsten Nitsche (Saeco), Jay Sweet (Big Mat), Scott Davis (United Water)

Note: There is no Glenn d'Hollander in the leading break.

They have 30 seconds on a chasing group, and 2.45 on the leading bunch with just over 3 laps to go.

14:46 - 81 km/9 km to go

David McKenzie has attacked the lead group with 2 to go.

The second chasing group contains: Gilles Maignan (Ag2R Decathlon), Innar Mandoja (Ag2R Decathlon), Bobby Julich (Credit Agricole), Danilo Hondo (Telekom), Stefano Zanini (Mapei-Quick Step), Fabien De Waele (Lotto Adecco), Matt Wilson (Uni of SA), Gene Bates (Uni of SA), Russel Van Hout (Uni of SA), and Nic Brown (United Water).

O'Grady, Sacchi and Hundermarck are in the third group at 3 minutes. The time bonuses are gone completely, and all O'Grady has to do is finish as part of that group.

14:53 - 85.5 km/4.5 km to go

There's a host of Telekom, Saeco and Credit Agricole at the front of the 3rd chasing group. However, the interest is on the leaders as there is one rider out in front.

McKenzie leads by 300m with one lap to go. The next group comes through to a massive cheer led by Jay Sweet, Torsten Nitsche, Luca Paolini, Gerhard Trampusch and Ben Day.

14:58 - 90 km/0.0 km to go

David McKenzie scores Linda McCartney's first win of the year, in magnificent solo fashion. In second is Ben Day, followed by Luca Paolini.

O'Grady comes through in the bunch glued to Hundertmarck's wheel. He has won the race!

Some quotes from the winner, David McKenzie who spoke to cyclingnews.com directly after the race:

"I'm stoked!. Neil (Stephens) gave me the freedom to have a bit of a race and I went for it. Being a stage winner in the Giro was great but it is quickly forgotten. It's 2001 and they look at you as someone else."

"I went with one and a half laps to go on the main hill. I went through there flat out, and I just held it. It was a small enough group to stay away from."

Were you worried about Jay Sweet?

"Yeah, him and a few others."

How do you feel about O'Grady's win?

"It's awesome to have an Aussie win on the last day, and it's awesome to have an Aussie win the whole race. It was perfect."

Results

1 David McKenzie (Aus) Linda McCartney        1.58.48 (45.45 km/h)
2 Ben Day (Aus) Sunsmart-Mitsubishi              0.17
3 Luca Paolini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step            0.20
4 Torsten Nitsche (Ger) Saeco Macchine Per Caffé 0.32
5 Kurt Van Lancker (Bel) Lotto Adecco        
6 Scott Davis (Aus) United Water        
7 Jakob Piil (Den) CSC-World Online        
8 Gerhard Trampusch (Aut) Telekom        
9 Jay Sweet (Aus) Big Mat                        0.51
10 Allan Davis (Aus) United Water                2.05

Final general classification

1 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole       18.34.20
2 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Telekom                 0.02
3 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Saeco Macchine Per Caffé    0.03
4 Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step        0.08
5 Chris Jenner (NZl) Credit Agricole      
6 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Ag2R Decathlon       0.10
7 Patrick Jonker (Aus) Big Mat      
8 Benoit Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole      
9 Glenn D'Hollander (Bel) Lotto Adecco           0.21
10 Cadel Evans (Aus) Sunsmart-Mitsubishi         0.23

Sprints

Graeme Brown (Aus) United Water

Mountains

Robert Tighello (Aus) Sunsmart-Mitsubishi

Best U23

Gene Bates (Aus) University of South Australia

Teams

Credit Agricole

Most aggressive rider

Jay Sweet (Aus) Big Mat

Report and results