10th Tour Down Under - ProT
Australia, January 20-27, 2008
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Next Stage Stage 5 - Saturday, January 26: Willunga - Willunga, 147 km
Complete live report
15:39 CST Please join us on Saturday, January
26 for Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 5 of the 10th Tour Down Under.
It is the really decisive stage of the Tour, including the tough climb of Old
Willunga Hill - the obstacle that has always created a selection in previous
Tours. It's expected that the crowds will be out for Australia Day, January
26, lining the hill to cheer on the field. Will there be a winner decided today?
Of the fast men who dominate the top of the GC, the one rider who can get over
climbs better than most sprinters is Allan Davis of UniSA - Australia. A rider
no less than Stuart O'Grady predicted that 'Alby' is in an excellent position
to win, and Stuey should know. It should make for a great day's racing.
10:56 CST
Kiwi rider Timothy Gudsell
Photo ©: Greg Johnson
|
Good morning and Happy Australia Day (January 26). Welcome to the Cyclingnews'
live coverage of the fifth stage of the 10th Tour Down Under, the decisive 147km
loop that begins and ends in the town of Willunga. Today's course includes the
climb of the Old Willunga Hill, coming 20km before the finish and surely it will
once again have a major impact on the overall outcome of this year's race.
10:59 CST Our current race leader, Credit Agricole's
Mark Renshaw (Aus) holds a slender 4 second lead on GC to Team High Road's German
powerhouse, Andre Greipel, with UniSA - Australia's Allan Davis snapping at
their heels, only 7 seconds off the lead in third. Renshaw knows what's in store
for him today, as he said earlier this week, "It's going to be hard, that's
for sure, I'm not looking forward to it. But I'm going to take it by the horns,
I think if I can stay within a minute over the top then my team-mates can drag
me back up. We're just going to have to bank on that."
11:06 CST 2km/145km to go
UniSA rider Luke Roberts
Photo ©: Greg Johnson
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And the gun has fired with 129 riders leaving Willunga and with only a 2km neutral
the pace is already very high. There have been no attacks beause the pace is too
high - 70kmh.
11:09 CST 3km/144km to go Nonetheless a group
of three riders have attacked and managed to pull a 200 metre gap. It includes
Erki Putsep (Est) of Bouygues Telecom and Heinrich Haussler (Ger) from Gerosteiner,
and one other. They're not making too much progress off the front at this early
stage.
11:10 CST 4km/143km to go Well they were caught
fairly quickly but there has been a slight split in the main peloton, with about
20 riders separating from the main field.
11:12 CST 5km/142km to go
Current race leader, Mark Renshaw
Photo ©: Greg Johnson
|
The peloton has closed that down but immediately, a rider from Euskaltel - Euskadi
has attacked - Andoni Lafuente (Spa). Yesterday, one of the EE boys, Javier Aramendia
put in a really brave, solo effort in the hot and dry conditions.
11:15 CST 8km/139km to go Lafuente didn't get
that far, either. He's now back in the main field. We'll try to bring you some
of the comments from the riders at the start this morning, but with all these
attacks ... we do have time for a weather report: today is going to be fine
and mostly sunny, with the chance of a late thunderstorm. The temperature is
expected to get up to 33 degrees, so it's going to be another warm day in the
saddle.
11:19 CST 10km/137km to go
A pensive Graeme Brown
Photo ©: Greg Johnson
|
Lloyd Mondory (Fra) of Ag2R-La Mondiale has opened up a gap of about 100 metres
on the main field. As we mentioned in the intro, all eyes will be on Allan Davis,
the sprinter from UniSA - Australia who is in third position on GC, only 7 seconds
behind. Davis is lightly built for a very fast finisher, and he can get over climbs
of the short-but-sharp variety, almost as well as 'real' climbers and certainly
bettter than most sprinters. He has also a very motivated and talented team at
his disposal. The Cyclingnews reporters caught up with several of his team-mates
at the start and we'll bring you those comments throughout the stage.
11:21 CST 12km/135km to go Mondory of France
has been joined by Benoit Joachim (Lux) of Astana, Sebastien Portal (Fra) of
Cofidis and Andoni Lafuente (Spa) of Euskaltel - Euskadi. They have about 200
metres but going on past mornings, we'll probably neeed a few more attacks before
one goes clear.
11:24 CST 15km/132km to go
Team High Road manager
Photo ©: Greg Johnson
|
And yes, they didn't get too far at all. The peloton is back together. So back
to Alby Davis and the team plan. One of his team-mates, Matt Wilson, said this
morning, "Everyone's come here with good form and we are really motivated so hopefully
we can pull something off up the (Willunga) hill." Back in the peloton, Nick Gates
(Aus) of Silence - Lotto needs a front wheel.
11:27 CST 18km/129km to go The peloton is only
together for a couple of k's before the attacks go off the front - this time
riders from Lampre and Euskeltel have a dig. Our race leader, Mark Renshaw (Credit
Agricole) said this morning, "today we have a few tactics, we don't know which
way we are going to roll with yet, but hopefully it will work out. I don't want
to lose this jersey."
11:30 CST 20km/127km to go Another three riders
have snuck away and pulled 200 metres on the peloton, including Greg Henderson
(NZl) of Team High Road, Carlo Westphal (Ger) of Gerolsteiner and Aitor Galdos
Alonso (Spa) of Euskaltel - Euskadi. Nick Gates got a good wheel change and
has got back on, while back at the front, Julien Mazet (Fra) of Astana is having
a go. Good to see this team in the action as they've been pretty quiet this
week. CN's Paul Verkuylen is spending the day in the team car with manager Sean
Yates, so we should get some good insights during the day.
11:31 CST 22km/125km to go OK - this break is
looking promising as it's now grown to five riders and has 40 seconds on the
peloton. Renaud Dion (Fra) from Ag2R-La Mondiale has got across and joined the
four others.
11:34 CST 23km/124km to go So our lead group
of five now includes Greg Henderson (NZl) of Team High Road, Carlo Westphal
(Ger) of Gerolsteiner and Aitor Galdos Alonso (Spa) of Euskaltel - Euskadi,
along with Julien Mazet (Fra) of Astana and Renaud Dion (Fra) from Ag2R-La Mondiale.
They have grown their lead to 1.20 and may stay clear.
11:36 CST This morning, CN's Greg Johnson caught
up with race director, Mike Turtur, who said, "we have got 87 riders that can
win the race. We have never been in that position before, so I think today will
be an interesting day."
11:40 CST 27km/120km to go And the gap has grown
to 2.10, so they are working well, while the race directors don't see this group
as too large a threat to the overall standings - yet. Another rider we spoke
to this morning was Silence - Lotto's Australian road champion, Mattthew Lloyd.
"It's been hard to make bigger moves and show yourself due to the characteristics
of the sprinters. It's going to be an interesting day."
11:43 CST One of our reporters on the course
said that apart from being quite warm, today the the breeze is much stronger
than in previous days of the TDU. The peloton is currently heading straight
towards the coast and is facing a cross-headwind. Team High Road's Adam Hansen
said this morning, "I'm feeling fresh. Today will be the hardest day of the
Tour - hopefully I can do something on the climb."
11:47 CST 29km/118km to go After a couple more
km's down the road the break has stretched to 2.35 on the peloton. There are
many spectators out today: it's a weekend, a public holiday, and a big international
sporting event coming through rural areas - the locals are out in force. This
morning we also spoke to Rabobank's Will Walker, "we will miss Mat (Hayman)
today, but we have moved on and (Graeme) Brownie ... I think he will get over
the climb OK today". Rabobank has had a Tour of mixed fortunes: its sprinter
Graeme Brown spent a day in the leader's jersey, but then yesterday Mathew Hayman
was taken out in the bunch gallop by Milram's Elia Rigotto, who was kicked out
of the race. 'Brownie' is still only 14 seconds behind on GC, so he's in with
a very good chance.
11:51 CST 32km/115km to go The latest time check
has the break at 2.40 and holding steady. Our reporter at the start was having
a really hard time at the start; he was forced to talk to one of the podium
girls, Rebecca. "I'm having a lot of fun," she said. "This year has been a lot
of fun." A previous podium gal from the TDU is now Mrs Stuart O'Grady.
12:01 CST 37km/110km to go And that lead is now
at 3.20 as our leaders put their heads down and hammer away. This morning Simon
Clarke, another of Alby Davis' team-mates on UniSa said of today's stage, "it's
going to be hot, hard, and it's going to hurt".
12:06 CST 39km/108km to go The time gap has increased
slightly to 3.45 and as we mentioned earlier, CN's Paul Verkuylen is riding
in the team car today with Astana manager sean yates. Paul reports that they're
still drinking from bidons marked 'Discovery' - showing the team's management
history - and Yates is also not keen on his man in the break, Frenchman Julien
Mazet, doing too much work in the break. Yates is keen that his riders stay
well-hydrated in today's stage while on the course, the team managers are being
told to go easy on the k's as they speed along the route. There are many people
out today.
12:13 CST 42km/105km to go Their lead is 4 minutes
and looking good, for now. This morning, UniSA's Luke Roberts told us, "we have
really come together this week. A couple of young guys have stepped up to the
mark and are doing well". Team High Road's Andre Greipel, who's currently in
second on GC, said, "yeah, I'm feeling good, the climb is not so big, it will
be okay". His team-mate, Greg Henderson, who's currently in the break, said,
"I'm getting slightly better as the Tour goes on. The team has been going very
well; Greipel is on fire and we have got a good team to support him." With Henderson
in the break, this takes the pressure off High Road, somewhat, to do any chasing.
12:20 CST 47km/100km to go On the front of the
peloton, which is now 4.10 behind, we have four riders from Credit Agricole
doing most of the work. Interestingly, no riders from UniSA decided to go across.
Also back in the peloton is the full team from CSC. This morning, Paul Verkuylen
spoke to CSC's Kurt Asle Arvesen (Nor) who said, “it’s my second year here,
and I am really enjoying it. Nice to be here and ride in the sun”.
12:22 CST 52km/95km to go Our leaders are approaching
the first intermediate sprint on the coast at sunny (and a little windy) Aldinga
Beach - their lead is hovering at 4.05. Here, the course runs parallel to the
beachfront and there's a strong crosswind; it'll be a tactical sprint for sure.
12:26 CST 58km/89km to go And at that first sprint
in Aldinga Beach, it was taken out by Westphal of Gerolsteiner, following by
Dion of Ag2r and then Galdos Alonso of Euskaltel. Henderson decided to save
his strength, as you would normally back him in a sprint like this. Their gap
to the peloton is now down to 3.05.
12:31 CST 60km/87km to go We also spoke to Team
CSC's young Australian sprinter, Matthew Goss, who's not been that active in
the TDU so far. "The first couple of days were really quick and chaotic. I am
starting to feel better so it is good to know that I am sprinting well. Today,
it will be tough.I expect it to fall apart on the climnb; it might come back
together over the top and I hope to be there". This climb up Old Willunga Hill
is only 20km from the finish line and if a break can go clear on the climb,
they can also stay away, as has been the case in previous years. After 60km,
the gap from the lead group back to the peloton is now back to 4 minutes.
12:38 CST 64km/83km to go The time gap is now
at 3.50, so their lead is fluctuating a tad but generally stable. We've had
some emails this morning and Dave asks the very pertinent question, is Silence
- Lotto really in this year's TDU? Well, of course, our diarist, Matthew Lloyd,
has been filing reports every day and providing some good insights. But he was
more concerned about the relative silence of Robbie McEwen, who's usually in
the thick of everything at the TDU. One thing is for certain, Dave, it's unlikely
Robbie will make his move on the climb. Perhaps look for him tomorrow on the
flatter street circuit.
12:46 CST 66km/81km to go So the gap is now down
to 3.35 after 66km as our leaders pound away along the coast, obviously not
paying too much atttention to the people who've left their beach-towels to line
the road and cheer them on, they wouldn't want to be too distracted by some
of the appropriately-dressed spectators. Another reader, Phil, asked what I
meant by a 'tactical sprint', when referring to the first intermediate sprint.
Simply that if there is a strong headwind, a rider just can't blast away from
200 metres out, as the draft is too great; they can lead out and fox a bit and
wait for another rider to come around and then use their draft. Or if there's
a cross-wind, the riders will hug the barrier and force other riders to come
around them into the wind, which is harder, and it also creates a draft for
the riders being overtaken.
12:48 CST Whoops - up in the lead Galdos Alonso
was taking a bottle from his EE team car and it looks like a gust of wind made
him bump heavily into his team car, but he stayed up and has continued on.
12:51 CST 73km/74km to go Another reader, John,
has written in with his theory and comments on today: "This is going to be very
interesting. There are about 88 riders who could theoretically win with a gap
over Willunga Hill. The tactics are going to be critical. The first part of
the hill is the hardest. A team that could force the pace there might split
things up. I'm looking past the sprinters duel, CSC has some cards to play (O'Grady
and Goss) and High Road with Adam Hansen, and don't forget Matt Lloyd (Silence
- Lotto) has been quiet so far. This is not to mention the Europeans - Luis
Sanchez (Caisse D'Epargne)is right there".
12:55 CST In case you missed it and with all
this talk of Willunga Hill, it's worth pointing out today's stage profile. It
kind of trundles along, a bit up-and-down, and themn wham! Hello Willunga. TheStage
5 profile is totally dominated by this climb and according to the race director,
he's never seen so many people already on the climb, so much that organisers
are restricting the number of official vehicles that are allowed on to the climb.
12:57 CST We've just heard that Mat Hayman from
Rabobank has been released from hospital and will be waiting at the finish to
greet his team-mates. Mat has a plate in his shoulder, courtesy of a very heavy
fall in yesterday's bunch gallop into Strathalbyn. We covered this story yesterday
in our daily news.
13:10 CST 80km/67km to go The gap is staying
the same, the latest check has it at 4.25. Our leaders are about 20km from the
next intermediate sprint, back in Aldinga Beach. None of the riders in the break
are figuring in the points competition, so they'll be dividing up whatever primes
are on offer from the organisation and local businesses. We've had several comments
about the final sprint yesterday, and particularly the 'head butt' that caused
Mat Hayman to fall. What Elia Rigotto, the then team leader of Milram, managed
to do was actually make contact with Hayman's arm, and as we know that controls
his bike. So a good, swift head butt up-and-under one's arm will only do one
thing - make the rider turn the 'bars sharply at a right angle. Most vehicles
don't cope too well with such suddden changes in direction at speed, especially
one with a contact patch of a few cm's of rubbber. The Italian has pleaded it
was a mistake and Hayman, to his credit, has given the old "that's bike racing"
shrug of the shoulders.
13:18 CST 89km/58km to go The other topic for
discussion is sprinters - and their (lack of) climbing ability. Of the sprinters
who dominate the top-end of the GC in this year's TDU, Allan Davis from UniSA
is probably the lightest, and that certainly helps when you're fighting gravity.
This 3km climb up Willunga Hill is quite steep at the outset, and it will be
quite warm, too, factors that affect all of the field. It's just that some riders
cope with it better than others. Davis will also have some very good riders
as he hits this climb: the two Tasmanians, in particular, Wes Sulzberger and
Richie Porte, are both good strong young riders who can climb, while Matt wilson
is also no slouch in the hills. And riders may not be 'sprinters' for
their whole careers, either. To fully explain why a 'sprinter' like Laurent
Jalabert can morph himself into a Classics specialist and then win 2 KoM competitions
in the Tour de France would require a lot more discussion. Their gap is now
at 4.45.
13:21 CST 94km/53km to go The gap is still at
4.10 as our leaders approach the second intermdiate sprint at Aldinga Beach.
There was a crash in the peloton involving Nicolas Crosbie (Fra) of Bouygues
Telecom and Igor Astarloa of Milram. Crosbie is on his way to hospital with
a suspected broken collarbone, while Igor is back on his bike and being attended
to by the race doctor.
13:23 CST Cyclingnews' reporter Paul
Verkuylen, enjoying his day out with Sean Yates in the Astana team car, said
Jose Luis Rubiera (Spa) came back for some bidons and pedalled along while he
had a quick chat. "It must be fun to spend Christmas here in the heat, eh? Watching
movies about Santa Clause in the snow ... I can tell you, it's really hot out
here!"
13:25 CST From that crash beforehand, Igor Astarloa
(Milrram) has finally abandoned, though details of his injuries are unknown,
while Crosbie is already in the ambulance on his way to hospital. The latest
time gap has the leaders at 3.15 to the peloton.
13:30 CST 98km/49km to go The gap has now fallen
to 2.30 as the peloton approaches the second intermediate sprint. Back up the
road, the result of the second sprint was the same as the first, as our leaders
seem to be holding a very defined pattern. First was Carlo Westphal (Ger) of
Gerolsteiner, Renaud Dion (Fra) of Ag2r, then Aitor Galdos Alonso (Spa) of Euskaltel
- Euskadi.
13:31 CST 100km/47km to go The chase is on -
the gap has come down to 1.50 as the peloton picks up the pace. Other teams
are now contributing to the chase and helping out Credit Agricole.
13:36 CST 103km/44km to go The gap is now at
1.40 as the peloton gets into gear. Although it is still over 20km to the start
of the climb, the close nature of the GC means that a lot of teams have to get
themselves in a good position so they can either launch or protect their GC
man on the climb. It would be starting to get a little tense in the main field
now ...
13:39 CST 106km/41km to go Gerolsteiner, Saunier
Duval - Scott and UniSa are also assisting in the chase. One wonders what Gerolsteiner
is doing up the front, given they have a man in the break, but they may be just
taking a non-assisting presence. The gap is now 1.15 as our leaders keep their
heads down.
13:41 CST The riders are being told to stock
up on their drinks NOW before the climb, because they won't be able to get any
service from their team cars until well after the climb. Up the front, the Shimano
neutral service motorbike is handing out the bidons and keeping the leaders
well watered. It's a hot day for an attack.
13:43 CST 109km/38km to go Ever so slightly,
this gap continues to fall. Our five riders in the break are holding the peloton
to 1 minute. How much longer can they hold on?
13:44 CST 110km/37km to go Well I think this
answers that question - the gap is down to 40 seconds and this is hard, rolling
country. It's hot, there's wind, and there's a nasty climb coming up.
13:45 CST 112km/35km to go The gap is now at
35 seconds as many of the team cars overtake each other to get up to their riders
and hand out the drinks. They're going to need them very soon, as the climb
starts in about 10km.
13:47 CST 114km/33km to go Looks like the break
is over for the day as the gap is closing to 100 metres, so who'll be next to
immediately attack once the break does come back?
13:48 CST And they are back in the peloton.
That was a good attack as they were off the front from the 20km point and were
only caught after 90km plus of hard riding on a hot and windy day.
13:53 CST 115km/32km to go The peloton is still
together as - surprise surprise - nobody has launched a counter attack. In the
Astana team car, discussion has turned to a likely victor and Sean Yates has
nominated Credit Agricole's Simon Gerrans; not a bad call, he's won this race
before and he can certainly climb (and he trails the GC by 24 seconds). On the
front on the road, UniSa sets the tempo.
13:54 CST Damn - what a time for a flat. Wim
Vansevenant of Silence - Lotto needs a rear wheel. The peloton is still together.
13:59 CST 119km/28km to go The peloton is altogether
and Yates also thinks that Allan Davis won't make it over the climb with the
leaders. He epxects Caisse D'Epargne will put the hammer down on the climb,
and that's exactly who is on the front right now. Back down the road, our reporter,
Greg Johnson, was given a real spray by Katie Mactier, former world track champion
and partner of Greg Henderson, using a giant supersoaker as she stood on the
side of the road.
14:00 CST 122km/25km to go And they've hit the
climb and already two riders are in difficulty, Denis Flahaut (Fra) of Saunier
duval - Scott and Greg Henderson (NZl) of High Road, no surprise there after
his long escape.
14:02 CST 123km/24km to go Meanwhile, Hendo's
team-mates in High Road have hit the gas on the climb and are putting the field
under real pressure.
14:02 CST The climb is jam-packed with spectators,
wildly cheering the field on. Three riders have broken free and have 50 metres
...
14:04 CST The three who've attacked are Adam
Hansen (Aus) of High Road, Alessandro Proni (Ita) from Quick Step, and Philippe
Gilbert (Bel) of FDJ. Back in the field, race leader Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole)
has lost contact with the leading bunch as the peloton blows to pieces on the
climb.
14:06 CST The leaders have 400 metres until
the top while Renshaw is 1km behind. The rest of the field is in a virtual single
file as they struggle up the climb. The crowds and noise are unprecedented.
14:07 CST And now a Cofidis rider has attacked
what's left of the main field - it's David Moncoutie.
14:11 CST 127km/20km to go And now Moncoutie
has gone clear with a small gap over Luis Leon Sanchez (Caissse D'Epargne),
behind them, it's utter chaos as the field has broken apart. There's been a
crash back in the field ... it's a Caissse D'Epargne rider ...
14:14 CST 128km/19km to go The field is now all
over the top of the climb and it looks like Moncoutie has got away up the front.
Back in the field, riders are struggling to get back on and making their way
through the race convoy. We'll have the results of that KoM as soon as and how
the main contenders on GC are looking, but Renshaw went into difficulty pretty
early.
14:16 CST 130km/17km to go Moncoutie from Cofidis
and Sanchez of Caisse D'Epargne have opened up a 10 second gap over a chase
group of 25 riders, while Renshaw is 400 metres behind this chasing group. An
equally brutal descent coming up.
14:19 CST 133km/14km to go The chasing group
has roped in Moncoutie and Sanchez, and this bunch includes Andre Greipel of
High Road (second on GC) while Renshaw trails by 400 metres in the second major
group.
14:23 CST 137km/10km to go They're on the descent
and flying - single-file and working together to keep their gap to the chasing
group, which includes the ochre jersey of Renshaw. It's going to be close. There's
also a small rise coming in to Willunga that could also play a part.
14:25 CST 142km/5km to go The lead group of 30
or so made it down the descent safely and is now 5km from the finish; it has
26 seconds on the Renshaw group and the front group is being led by UniSA.
14:27 CST 143km/4km to go There is a large crowd
awaiting their arrival in Willunga. The second group is of made up of 20 very
desperate riders trying to pull back the 25 second gap to the front group, which
is going hard. It's unlikely it will come back together as the front group is
at 50kmh.
14:28 CST 145km/2km to go The gap between the
lead group and the ochre jersey group is now at 30 seconds and it looks like
we're going to have a new leader tonight.
14:29 CST 146km/1km to go The gap is now at 33
seconds and it will stay clear as it's 1km from the finish line. There are counter-attacks
and one rider from Saunier Duval has opened up a gap!
14:30 CST There is a Saunier Duval rider holding
them off and will he make it? He's being chased by an EE rider ...
14:31 CST 147km/0km to go No - he doesn't as
the peloton steams down and catches him, coming through the peloton is the black-clad
figure of ... Andre Greipel .... he's flying through and he gets another stage,
and with it, probably the overall victory!
14:35 CST 147km/0km to go The bunches are still
coming across the line ... the Renshaw group was led home by Dion of Ag2r. The
conditions have taken their toll on the field today as the riders come across
in ones and twos. It looks like Andre Greipel has a 7 second lead on GC heading
into tomorrow's final stage, with Allan Davis of UniSA in second. The big German
sprinter showed that he was more than capable of holding a wheel on that climb.
14:52 CST So it looks like Andre Greipel of
Team High Road will go into tomorrow's sixth and final stage of the TDU with
a 7 second time advantage to second-placed Allan Davis of UniSA. Last year we
went into the final stage on the streets of Adelaide with Martin Elmiger of
Ag2r holding only a one second advantage on GC to Karl Menzies, but he managed
to keep that slender lead and emerge victorious. So it's quite likely that Greipel
will also finish the final stage tomorrow with the ochre leader's jersey. It's
been a great Tour for High Road and indeed, a great start to the year down under,
ironic given its sponsorship woes from late last year when T-Mobile withdrew
its support. But the team has obviously pulled together and shown great spirit,
and it's worked really well in the Tour, under the management of team manager
Alan Peiper.
14:53 CST We've just received the provisional
results and we'll get those up soon. After the finish, Greipel said, "this is
unbelievable, I didn't expect to win today. The work from (Adam )Hansen was
amazing. I can be very proud today". His team manager, a delighted Alan Peiper
said, "I definitely didn't expect this from Greipel before the start of the
race".
15:25 CST So thanks for joining us again on
Cyclingnews for the live coverage of the exciting fifth stage of the
Tour Down Under. Please join us tomorrow for the sixth and final stage of the
Tour Down Under, coming to you from the streets of Adelaide city. Until then,
bye for now.
Summary
After several attacks from the gun, after 20km a lead group of five formed
including Greg Henderson (NZl) of Team High Road, Carlo Westphal (Ger) of Gerolsteiner
and Aitor Galdos Alonso (Spa) of Euskaltel - Euskadi, along with Julien Mazet
(Fra) of Astana and Renaud Dion (Fra) from Ag2R-La Mondiale.
At the 114km point, they were caught after spending over 90km off the front,
even though their lead was over 4 minutes at one stage. The peloton cam back
together for the climb of Willunga Hill and as expected, the fireworks started.
After the climb two riders got away: David Moncoutie of Cofidis and Luis Leon
Sanchez of Caisse D'Epargne, but a chasing group of 25 caught them. This group
included Andre Greipel of Team High Road, while current race leader Mark Renshaw
(Credit Agricole) was dropped on the climb.
The chasing group caught Moncoutie and Sanchez and then started to put time
into the ochre jersey group of Renshaw. As they approached, a rider from Saunier
Duval attacked and opened up a gap, chased by a rider form Euskaltel - Euskadi.
But the peloton had too much momentum and caught these escapees, and emerging
from the field was the black-clad figure of Andre Greipel, who took the stage
win and with it, the overall leader's jersey.
Provisional results of stage 5, Tour Down Under, January 26, 2008
1 Andre Greipel (Ger) Team High Road 3.26.46
2 Allan Davis (Aus) UniSA - Australia st
3 Jose Alberto Benitez Roman (Spa) Saunier Duval - Scott
4 Philippe Gilbert (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux
5 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas
6 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
7 Mickael Delage (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux
8 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank
9 Jerome Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
10 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse D'Epargne
General Classification after Stage 5
1 Andre Greipel (Ger) Team High Road 16.55.18
2 Allan Davis (Aus) UniSA - Australia .07
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