German sprint star Andre Greipel has sailed to victory in the Down Under Classic to kick off a week of world class cycling , in front of 112 thousand fans in Adelaide’s East End.
The Classic is the curtain raiser for the Santos Tour Down Under, which Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) has won twice, in 2008 and 2010. Tonight he crossed the line ahead of Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) with Australian Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) third.
Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
“As a team, we didn’t want to race with too much pressure but it worked out well,” said Greipel who arrived in Australia super fit and ready to race. “We practiced a lot of lead out train before this race and it paid off. It’s always good to win and it’s a great way to start a new season.
“It wasn’t very difficult for me actually. I only had to follow Greg Henderson who himself followed Jurgen Roelandts,” said Greipel in praise of his team mates. “I just needed to stay on their wheel and get out with 200 metres to go. The race organisation did a good job in making the final corner a bit wider. It was less dangerous than in the past few years. Today’s win is a good warm up for the Santos Tour Down Under. It puts our team Lotto-Belisol on the right track.”
The pace was on from the gun in the 51 kilometre (30 laps) circuit race with Frenchman Arnaud Courteille, 22, of FDJ-BigMat the first to launch an attack.
Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
“I didn’t intend to attack from the gun but I got thrilled because of the hype,” said Courteille. “This is my first time in Australia and I found the crowd absolutely fabulous, that’s what made me go up the road. It was pure euphoria.
“I knew that my good friend, Mickael Cherel, did the same thing two years together with Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pereiro and Peter Sagan.”
But he wasn’t alone for long as nine riders headed out to join him in front including Spaniard Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Movistar) who won the Skoda sprint on lap five, the first of four intermediate sprints.
Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
“I would have liked to win the first sprint but I got passed by a Movistar rider coming from I don’t where,” said Courteille who then dropped back to the peloton. “Once we got caught, my throat was all fired up because of this violent effort. But it was a great ride. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Garmin-Barracuda’s newest Australian recruit Nathan Haas was in the lead group and he was on a mission to grab the remaining sprints claiming the Hindmarsh sprint at lap ten, the Cycle Instead sprint at lap 15 and the Jayco sprint on lap 20.
But as the race headed into the final ten laps the lead group was in sight and the peloton soon reeled them in to set up a lightning fast final few laps that ended in a bunch sprint.
The riders will have a day off racing tomorrow to prepare for the opening WorldTour race which gets underway on Tuesday with stage one of the Santos Tour Down Under, a 149km stage from Prospect to Clare
Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
Result
1. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol    1:03:16
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky
3. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Barracuda
4. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar
5. Steel Von Hoff (Aus) UniSA-Australia
6. Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) SaxoBank
7. Chris Sutton (Aus) Sky
8. Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Spa) Movistar
9. Greg Henderson (NZl) Lotto-Belisol
10. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-ISD
FULL RESULT
lassic Overall
1.
1.   GREIPEL, A (GER)Lotto-Belisol
2.   BOASSON HAGEN, E (NOR)Sky Procycling
3.   HAUSSLER, H (AUS)Garmin-Barracuda
4.   ROJAS, Jose J (ESP)Movistar
5.   VON HOFF, S (AUS – Vic)UNI SA – Australia
6.   CANTWELL, J (AUS)Team Saxo Bank
7.   SUTTON, C (AUS)Sky Procycling
8.   GUTIERREZ, Jose I (ESP)Movistar
9.   HENDERSON, G (NZL)Lotto-Belisol
10.   PETACCHI, A (ITA)Lampre – ISD
11.   HONDO, D (GER)Lampre – ISD
12.   CIOLEK, G (GER)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
13.   FEILLU, R (FRA)Vacansoleil -DCM
14.   HUTAROVICH, Y (BLR)FDJ – BigMat
15.   MCEWEN, R (AUS)GreenEDGE
16.   STEEGMANS, G (BEL)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
17.   ROELANDTS, J (BEL)Lotto-Belisol
18.   BOZIC, B (SLO)Astana
19.   SABATINI, F (ITA)Liquigas – Cannondale
20.   MADRAZO, A (ESP)Movistar
21.   MIYAZAWA, T (JPN)Team Saxo Bank
22.   HAYMAN, M (AUS)Sky Procycling
23.   BELLETTI, M (ITA)AG2R La Mondiale
24.   GARCIA, R (ESP)Euskaltel-Euskadi
25.   SAEZ, A (ESP)Euskaltel-Euskadi
26.   VALVERDE, A (ESP)Movistar
27.   ERVITI, (ESP)Movistar
28.   BONNET, W (FRA)FDJ – BigMat
29.   IZAGIRRE, G (ESP)Euskaltel-Euskadi
30.   PAOLINI, L (ITA)Katusha
31.   VIGANO, D (ITA)Lampre – ISD
32.   VORGANOV, E (RUS)Katusha
33.   SELVAGGI, M (ITA)Vacansoleil -DCM
34.   PALMER, T (AUS – ACT)UNI SA – Australia
35.   MARYCZ, J (POL)Team Saxo Bank
36.   CLARKE, W (AUS – Tas)UNI SA – Australia
37.   MCCARTHY, J (AUS – Qld)UNI SA – Australia
38.   MOL, W (NED)Vacansoleil -DCM
39.   BAUER, J (NZL)Garmin-Barracuda
40.   SIEBERG, M (GER)Lotto-Belisol
41.   BURGHARDT, M (GER)BMC
42.   SANCHEZ, L (ESP)Rabobank
43.   GRUZDEV, D (KAZ)Astana
44.   HUNTER, R (RSA)Garmin-Barracuda
45.   THOMAS, G (GBR)Sky Procycling
46.   GODDAERT, K (BEL)AG2R La Mondiale
47.   KADRI, B (FRA)AG2R La Mondiale
48.   VEIKKANEN, J (FIN)FDJ – BigMat
49.   CANUTI, F (ITA)Liquigas – Cannondale
50.   COURTEILLE, A (FRA)FDJ – BigMat
51.   VERMOTE, J (BEL)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
52.   URTASUN, P (ESP)Euskaltel-Euskadi
53.   PAUWELS, S (BEL)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
54.   ROGERS, M (AUS)Sky Procycling
55.   CABEDO, V (ESP)Euskaltel-Euskadi
56.   ELMIGER, M (SUI)AG2R La Mondiale
57.   DENNIS, R (AUS – SA)UNI SA – Australia
58.   FLORENCIO CABR?, X (ESP)Katusha
59.   GOSS, M (AUS)GreenEDGE
60.   VAN AVERMAET, G (BEL)BMC
61.   KOHLER, M (SUI)BMC
62.   ROULSTON, H (NZL)RadioShack-Nissan
63.   MATTHEWS, M (AUS)Rabobank
64.   GUESDON, F (FRA)FDJ – BigMat
65.   BALLAN, A (ITA)BMC
66.   HANSEN, A (AUS)Lotto-Belisol
67.   LOPEZ, D (ESP)Movistar
68.   BENNATI, D (ITA)RadioShack-Nissan
69.   REYNES, V (ESP)Lotto-Belisol
70.   CIMOLAI, D (ITA)Lampre – ISD
71.   SMUKULIS, G (LAT)Katusha
72.   J?RGENSEN, J (DEN)Team Saxo Bank
73.   BELKOV, M (RUS)Katusha
74.   LAGUTIN, S (UZB)Vacansoleil -DCM
75.   MARANGONI, A (ITA)Liquigas – Cannondale
76.   FREIRE, O (ESP)Katusha
77.   HESJEDAL, R (CAN)Garmin-Barracuda
78.   PEREZ, R (ESP)Euskaltel-Euskadi
79.   PAULINHO, S (POR)Team Saxo Bank
80.   GERRANS, S (AUS)GreenEDGE
81.   LUND, A (DEN)Team Saxo Bank
82.   LEMARCHAND, R (FRA)AG2R La Mondiale
83.   SICARD, R (FRA)Euskaltel-Euskadi
84.   DE GENDT, T (BEL)Vacansoleil -DCM
85.   BAZAYEV, A (KAZ)Astana
86.   IGLINSKIY, V (KAZ)Astana
87.   KAISEN, Olivier (BEL)Lotto-Belisol
88.   CASAR, Sandy (FRA)FDJ – BigMat
89.   PAVARIN, M (ITA)Vacansoleil -DCM
90.   BAKELANTS, J (BEL)RadioShack-Nissan
91.   BOLE, G (SLO)Lampre – ISD
92.   AGOSTINI, S (ITA)Liquigas – Cannondale
93.   RATTO, D (ITA)Liquigas – Cannondale
94.   MACHADO, T (POR)RadioShack-Nissan
95.   GERDEMANN, L (GER)RadioShack-Nissan
96.   BRAMMEIER, M (IRL)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
97.   HAAS, N (AUS)Garmin-Barracuda
98.   FRANK, M (SUI)BMC
99.   VOIGT, J (GER)RadioShack-Nissan
100.   KLIER, A (GER)Garmin-Barracuda
101.   SHPILEVSKY, B (RUS)AG2R La Mondiale
102.   NORRIS, L (AUS – Vic)UNI SA – Australia
103.   MORENO, J (ESP)Movistar
104.   CARUSO, G (ITA)Katusha
105.   MONTAGUTI, M (ITA)AG2R La Mondiale
106.   KOREN, K (SLO)Liquigas – Cannondale
107.   GRAZIATO, M (ITA)Lampre – ISD
108.   ROBERTS, L (AUS)Team Saxo Bank
109.   SULZBERGER, B (AUS – Tas)UNI SA – Australia
110.   O’GRADY, S (AUS)GreenEDGE
111.   MASCIARELLI, F (ITA)Astana
112.   KELDERMAN, W (NED)Rabobank
113.   BLYTHE, A (GBR)BMC
114.   TRENTIN, M (ITA)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
115.   MURAVYEV, D (KAZ)Astana
116.   LLOYD, M (AUS)Lampre – ISD
117.   MAASKANT, M (NED)Garmin-Barracuda
118.   QUINZIATO, M (ITA)BMC
119.   BROWN, G (AUS)Rabobank
120.   RENSHAW, M (AUS)Rabobank
121.   VAN EMDEN, J (NED)Rabobank
122.   FENN, A (GBR)Omega Pharma-QuickStep
123.   ROY, J (FRA)FDJ – BigMat
124.   HOWARD, L (AUS)GreenEDGE
125.   LEEZER, T (NED)Rabobank
126.   DOWSETT, A (GBR)Sky Procycling
