Team News: Evans keeps lead in Tour Down Under

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Cadel Evans of the BMC Racing Team held onto the overall lead at the Santos Tour Down Under, but saw his advantage over second-placed Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) reduced from 12 seconds to seven.

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Evans finished 13th on the day, in the same time as stage winner André Greipel, who won ahead of his Lotto Belisol teammate, Jurgen Roelandts, and Elia Viviani (Cannondale Pro Cycling). Gerrans placed fourth but earned three bonus seconds by winning the first intermediate sprint and two more for finishing second on the other.

“It was a nervous day with the wind,” Evans said. “Orica really took control of the race, putting the whole team on (the front) for the intermediate sprints. Obviously, the first one didn’t go favorably for me; the second one went worse. That’s really the element and especially for the first one I had the whole team there all ready to go and very well organized. Compliments to them.”

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Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo 

Saturday’s penultimate stage finishes up Old Willunga Hill, a three-kilometer climb with an average grade of 7.6 percent. In 2010, with Evans racing as the reigning World Road Champion, he finished third on the same stage, four seconds behind winner Luis Leon Sanchez.

“I think everyone’s going to be looking at Willugna,” Evans said. “If I am going to win the race then I am certainly going to have to do something pretty special there. Looking at the numbers, we have four stages favorable to Orica and two for me. So it’s not in my advantage. Willunga will be important. But certainly if Orica can go for intermediate sprints they can eat away at seven seconds pretty quickly.”

Reconnaissance Was Helpful
Sport Director Fabio Baldato said the BMC Racing Team’s reconnaissance of the stage proved valuable, particularly when a surge in speed and strong crosswinds split the peloton with about 50 km to go. “We knew it was going to be difficult and technical,” Baldato said. “Orica went full gas to try to bring back the breakaway to do the second intermediate sprint. Tomorrow will be a little bit different with a tough finish and two more bonification sprints and then two more on Sunday.”

At least twice during the 148.5-kilometer race, Evans had brushes with danger. TV replays showed him narrowly avoiding hitting riders: first when crosswinds buffeted the peloton and later when he was pulling to the left side of the road to get to the team car … Two years ago, BMC Racing Team’s Martin Kohler also led the race overall heading into the stage finish on Old Willunga Hill.

But the then-Swiss national time trial champion finished 17th on the day and conceded the Ochre jersey as Alejandro Valverde took the stage win ahead of Gerrans … The BMC Racing Team has five podium finishes this season between the Santos Tour Down Under and the Tour de San Luis. At this same time last year, competing in the same two races, the team had one (Philippe Gilbert’s third place on Stage 3 at the Tour Down Under).

RESULTS
1 GREIPEL Andre, Lotto Belisol Team 03:33:07
2 ROELANDTS Jurgen, Lotto Belisol Team
3 VIVIANI Elia, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
4 GERRANS Simon, Orica GreenEDGE
5 HAAS Nathan, Garmin – Sharp
6 IMPEY Daryl, Orica GreenEDGE
7 BOUET Maxime, AG2R La Mondiale
8 TRUSOV Nikolay, Tinkoff-Saxo
9 ROUX Anthony, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
10 GAVAZZI Francesco, Astana Pro Team
11 VON HOFF Steele, Garmin – Sharp
12 CANTWELL Jonathan, Drapac Professional Cycling
13 EVANS Cadel, BMC Racing Team
14 BAKELANTS Jan, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
15 GESINK Robert, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
16 THOMAS Geraint, Team Sky
17 CLEMENT Stef, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
18 BOOKWALTER Brent, BMC Racing Team
19 GESCHKE Simon, Team Giant-Shimano
20 SUTHERLAND Rory, Tinkoff-Saxo
21 PAUWELS Serge, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
22 WYSS Danilo, BMC Racing Team
23 PORTE Richie, Team Sky
24 QUEMENEUR Perrig, Team Europcar
25 VORGANOV Eduard, Team Katusha
26 HANSEN Adam, Lotto Belisol Team
27 SøRENSEN Nicki, Tinkoff-Saxo
28 DIDIER Laurent, Trek Factory Racing
29 HAIG Jack, UniSA-Australia
30 PLAZA MOLINA Rubén, Movistar Team
31 MORI Manuele, Lampre – Merida
32 BAUER Jack, Garmin – Sharp
33 BROECKX Stig, Lotto Belisol Team
34 ULISSI Diego, Lampre – Merida
35 FAIRLY Caleb, Garmin – Sharp
36 DOMONT Axel, AG2R La Mondiale
37 SILIN Egor, Team Katusha
38 JUUL-JENSEN Christopher, Tinkoff-Saxo
39 SULZBERGER Bernard, Drapac Professional Cycling
40 HERMANS Ben, BMC Racing Team
41 DEBUSSCHERE Jens, Lotto Belisol Team
42 BERARD Julien, AG2R La Mondiale
43 BONNET William, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
44 VERONA QUINTANILLA Carlos, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
45 HUCKER Robbie, Drapac Professional Cycling
46 KOCHETKOV Pavel, Team Katusha
47 DEIGNAN Philip, Team Sky
48 WURF Cameron, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
49 LAPTHORNE Darren, Drapac Professional Cycling
50 SCHLECK Fränk, Trek Factory Racing
51 BOBRIDGE Jack, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
52 AGNOLI Valerio, Astana Pro Team
53 DEKKER Thomas, Garmin – Sharp
54 MORABITO Steve, BMC Racing Team
55 EARLE Nathan, Team Sky
56 MEYER Travis, Drapac Professional Cycling 00:19
57 MOINARD Amaël, BMC Racing Team
58 STANNARD Ian, Team Sky 00:29
59 SIEBERG Marcel, Lotto Belisol Team 00:39
60 HAYMAN Mathew, Orica GreenEDGE 00:41
61 MATTHEWS Michael, Orica GreenEDGE 00:52
62 DURBRIDGE Luke, Orica GreenEDGE 00:56
63 DENNIS Rohan, Garmin – Sharp 02:28
64 THURAU Bjorn, Team Europcar 13:55
65 FROHLINGER Johannes, Team Giant-Shimano
66 ZABEL Rick, BMC Racing Team
67 ARNDT Nikias, Team Giant-Shimano
68 RENSHAW Mark, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
69 BROWN Graeme, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
70 TURGOT Sébastien, AG2R La Mondiale
71 SOUPE Geoffrey, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
72 KITTEL Marcel, Team Giant-Shimano
73 TRENTIN Matteo, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
74 LECUISINIER Pierre-Henri, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
75 WATSON Calvin, Trek Factory Racing
76 MOHORIC Matej, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
77 CLARKE Simon, Orica GreenEDGE
78 GOSS Matthew, Orica GreenEDGE
79 VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael, Tinkoff-Saxo
80 VOIGT Jens, Trek Factory Racing
81 ALAPHILIPPE Julian, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
82 ELISSONDE Kenny, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
83 HUPOND Thierry, Team Giant-Shimano
84 TANKINK Bram, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
85 DE KORT Koen, Team Giant-Shimano
86 KOLAR Michael, Tinkoff-Saxo
87 MCCARTHY Jay, Tinkoff-Saxo
88 LINFIELD Bradley, UniSA-Australia
89 GRIVKO Andriy, Astana Pro Team
90 VAN POPPEL Danny, Trek Factory Racing
91 MORTON Lachlan, Garmin – Sharp
92 BOIVIN Guillaume, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
93 BELKOV Maxim, Team Katusha
94 GUARNIERI Jacopo, Astana Pro Team
95 EWAN Caleb, UniSA-Australia
96 ERVITI OLLO Imanol, Movistar Team
97 VAN POPPEL Boy, Trek Factory Racing
98 GUTIéRREZ PALACIOS, Jose Iván Movistar Team
99 MORENO BAZAN Javier, Movistar Team
100 LOBATO DEL VALLE, Juan Jose Movistar Team
101 FELLINE Fabio, Trek Factory Racing
102 GIACOPPO Anthony, UniSA-Australia
103 CIMOLAI Davide, Lampre – Merida
104 O’ BRIEN Mark, UniSA-Australia
105 FLENS Rick, Belkin Pro Cycling Team
106 GAUDIN Damien, AG2R La Mondiale
107 WESTRA Lieuwe, Astana Pro Team
108 GASPAROTTO Enrico, Astana Pro Team
109 PORSEV Alexander, Team Katusha
110 IGNATYEV Mikhail, Team Katusha
111 DANIEL Maxime, AG2R La Mondiale
112 VEIKKANEN Jussi, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
113 COURTEILLE Arnaud, Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr
114 BONO Matteo, Lampre – Merida
115 HUFFMAN Evan, Astana Pro Team
116 WACKERMANN Luca, Lampre – Merida
117 SULZBERGER Wesley, Drapac Professional Cycling
118 BONNAFOND Guillaume, AG2R La Mondiale
119 BETTIOL Alberto, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
120 FERRARI Roberto, Lampre – Merida
121 PETERSON Tom, Team Giant-Shimano
122 ARASHIRO Yukiya, Team Europcar
123 REZA Kevin, Team Europcar
124 KRIZEK Matthias, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
125 COUSIN Jérôme, Team Europcar
126 BENNETT George, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
127 VAN DER PLOEG Neil, UniSA-Australia
128 ROWE Luke, Team Sky
129 CLARKE William, Drapac Professional Cycling
130 EISEL Bernhard, Team Sky
131 FLAKEMORE Campbell, UniSA-Australia
132 FENN Andrew, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
133 TULIK Angelo, Team Europcar
134 HALLER Marco, Team Katusha

OVERALL
1 EVANS Cadel, BMC Racing Team 14:19:46
2 GERRANS Simon, Orica GreenEDGE 00:07
3 ULISSI Diego, Lampre – Merida 00:14
4 HAAS Nathan, Garmin – Sharp 00:23
5 GESINK Robert, Belkin Pro Cycling Team 00:29
6 THOMAS Geraint, Team Sky
7 IMPEY Daryl, Orica GreenEDGE 00:33
8 BOOKWALTER Brent, BMC Racing Team
9 SUTHERLAND Rory, Tinkoff-Saxo
10 PORTE Richie, Team Sky
11 HERMANS Ben, BMC Racing Team
12 HANSEN Adam, Lotto Belisol Team
13 SILIN Egor, Team Katusha
14 ROUX Anthony, Equipe Cycliste FD.fr 01:01
15 BAKELANTS Jan, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
16 DIDIER Laurent, Trek Factory Racing
17 GESCHKE Simon, Team Giant-Shimano 01:13
18 BOUET Maxime, AG2R La Mondiale 01:14
19 PLAZA MOLINA Rubén, Movistar Team 01:18
20 SCHLECK Fränk, Trek Factory Racing

 

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