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Simon Gerrans Takes Tour Down Under Stage Four Win - Coventry MAD

 

Simon Gerrans Takes Tour Down Under Stage Four Win

Last updated : 22 January 2016 By CNS Sport

Race leader Simon Gerrans made it two out of two when he took the victory on the fourth stage of the Santos Tour Down Under in South Australia.

The fourth stage started in Norwood and was over a 138km course which finished in Victor Harbor and was one that had Orica GreenEdge's Simon Gerrans in the Ochre jersey, Team Sky's Sergio Henao in the KOM jersey and Tinkoff's Jay McCarthy in the Sprint and Best Young Rider's jersey.

SantosTDU_Live

The stage started without Marcus Berghardt who crashed on stage three and saw the 136 riders get straight into the climb up Norton Summit with Astana's Lieuwe Westra trying to get away.

Orica GreenEdge broke up this attack and others and this allowed Simon Gerran to take the first sprint of the day ahead of Jay McCarthy and Darryl Impey.

Three riders in Alexis Gougeard of AG2R, David Tanner of IAM Cycling and Patrick Shaw of Uni SA finally got clear and with 36kms gone, they had a lead of a minute that had extended to 2.10 with a hundred kilometres left.

After 44kms, the trio had a lead of 5:44 but had dropped to 4.21 with 78kms left.

Going into the final fifty kilometres and the gap had fallen to 1.48 as the wind started to get up.

The second iiNet Sprint was in Goolwa after 100.9kms and Patrick Shaw rode clear to take the five points.

The peloton who had been riding at 57kmh started to reel in the trio out front and had them within 41 seconds with 34.7kms to go.

They were caught with twenty six kilometres left and as the rain started coming down, the riders went up the Crows Nest Road climb. 

Peter Kennaugh of Team Sky went to the front to keep the pace high and worked so that his team mate Henao could take the points on top of the mountain ahead of Richie Porte of BMC.

Forty five riders were in a front group and missed a crash at the back which saw riders from Lampre, Trek and Giant Alpecin all involved.

The race leader was letting Team Sky's Ian Stannard work on the front before Movistar's Jesus Herrada attacked with 15.9kms left.

Lieuwe Westra also attacked but sat up and  an eighty man group was together going into the final six kilometres.

Kennaugh, in the British champion's jersey,did another big turn on the front.

Simon Gerrans was handily placed going under the flam rouge. Team Sky led but it was Gerrans who took the win in 3.13.58 ahead of Ben Swift of Team Sky, Niizzolo, McCarthy and Leigh Howard.

Gerrans who leads the race by thirteen seconds: "i am thrilled with that. My team sent me up for he first sprint and for the last one. I have to be very attentive tomorrow and there is a lot of work to be done.

"I have worked hard in pre-season and it is nice to see that working in my favour."