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
  
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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
  
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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
  
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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
  
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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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