Richie Porte Wins Tour Down Under Fifth Stage

Last updated : 25 January 2014 By Covsupport News Service

Team Sky's Richie Porte said that he would do something on Old Willunga Hill and that he did by winning the fifth stage of the sixteenth Santos Tour Down Under today.

The big feature of this fifth 151.5km stage from McLaren Vale wad the finish at  Old Willunga Hill, a mountain which the 133 riders lead by Cadel Evans would have to negotiate twice.

Jens Voigt, again was amongst the escapers after three kilometres and along with Mikhail Ignatyev, Juan Jose Lobato and Matteo Trentin, they were allowed to get 8.55 by the thirty six kilometres mark.

The first sprint of the day came after 63.4km and saw Katusha's Mikhail Ignatyev, take the points and bonus seconds ahead of Omega Pharma Quick Step's Matteo Trentin and Trek Factory's Jens Voigt. 

As the four escapers came in to McLaren Vale for a third time with 75kms to go, their lead was down to four minutes and thirty eight seconds on a lovely lunchtime, some forty odd miles out of Adelaide, thanks to the likes of Team Sky's Berni Eisel doing plenty of work as did Evan's BMC team and Simon Gerrans, who was seven seconds down on the former Tour De France winner, and his Orica Green Edge team.

The quartet mopped up the points in the second sprint with Mikhail Ignatyev again taking maximum points ahead of Spanish rider Lobato. 

With 33kms to go and the climb of Willunga coming into view, the four escapers had been riding at 41kmh, were three minutes clear.

That lead dropped to 2.08 as the riders made their way past big crowds in Wilunga with the big teams back in the peloton getting their riders ready for the climb.

The gap was 1.15 as Movistar's Lobato was shed. Ignatyev tried to get away but Jens Voigt, despite being forty two years old and Trentin brought him back.

Ruben Molina of Movistar and Wesley Sulzberger went after the three escapers on Old Willunga Hill, which had crowds as big as anything you see at the Tour De France or Giro d'Italia.

Jens Voigt took the points for being first on top of Old Willunga Hill and then set off on the final 22.5kms as Adam Hansen and Axel Domont were now tied on twenty eight points for the King Of The Mountains jersey behind them.

Matteo Trentin went with Voigt but the peloton led by Orica Green Edge was speeding towards them and caught them with 16.3kms to go.

Former Belgian champion Jurgen Roelandts led ahead of a group of twenty five riders but with 7.6kms to go, Jens Voigt attacked again to huge cheers from the crowds on Old Willunga Hill.

Voigt opened up a ten second lead but he was never going to win as there was too much at stake and he was caught with 3.2kms to go.

Cadel Evans made his move with a team mate. Richie Porte followed as did Simon Gerrans. Sulzberger attacked on the right but Evans marked him as did Porte who rode off.

Evans continued to chased the Team Sky rider, who was 33 seconds down on Evans at the start of the stage. But there was no stopping Porte who won in 3.42.20ahead of Ulissi, Simon Gerrans was third and Cadel Evans came in fifteen seconds down on Richie Porte in sixth, behind Gesink and Impey.

Porte (pictured above) told Paul Sherwen. "The boys were incredible. The team had a plan and it worked today. Full credit to Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas who were with me until I went and tomorrow I will do all I can to protect the positiion I am in."

Simon Gerrans leads the race by one second from Cadel Evans going into the final stage.

General Classification:

1. Gerrans, 2. Evans +1, 3. Ulissi +5, 4. Porte +10, 5. Haas +26, 6. Gesink +30, 7. Impey +34, 8. Hansen +36.

 

 

 

Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service.