As it happened: Solo move in final kilometre shakes up GC at Tour Down Under stage 2
The peloton races 141.6-kilometres with a final that features the Fox Creek Climb as a launš§chpad for attacks into Lobethal
168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę:Tour Down Under 2024 - Route
Men's Tour Down Under – Preview
168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę:Tour Down Under 2024 start list
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Race situation
Peloton all together.
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 3km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 10km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 20km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 30km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 50km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 75km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 100km to go
- 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę: 137km to go
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 2, from Norwood to Lobethal, of the 168澳擲5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę:Tour Down Under. The stage starts at 11:10am local time or 12:40am GMT anā±d finishes roughly four hours later.
Stage 1 winner Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe) leads the general classification with four seconds on Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and six seconds on Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). Corbin Stronš³g (Israel-Premier Tech) is in fourth place, seven seconds down after grabbing time bonus seconds in the two intermediate sprints yesterday.
Welsford also leads thš²e points classification but will wear the ochre leader's jersey. Second that classification, Bauhaus will wear the blue sprint jersey today. Active in the break on stage 1, Louis Barré (Arkéša-B&B Hotels) leads the mountain classification. Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty) finished 9th on stage 1 and now wears the white best young rider jersey.
Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under is set to start in just under five minutes. Starting in Norwood, the 141.6km route includes twists and turns across the Aš¦©delaide Hills, and ends with three 35km loops and two ascents of the Fox Creek Climb, a short but super-steep climb set to be a launchpad for multiple attacks to take the win in Lobethal.
The temperature may beš cooler today but we're in for another hot day of racing for the 139 riders in the field. The riders are rolling through the 5.1km neutral section on their way to the official start.
“It's one for the classic specialists. I think it's just gonna be a little bit too hard in the last part of the race for the pure sprinters because that KOM up Fox Creek the last time over. It's not part of the king of the mountains competition, but a 1.5km climb with a maximumź¦ gradient 18% with eight kilšometres to go, it's got climbers written all over it to split it.” - Robbie McEwen on today’s stage.
Race director Stuart O’Grady is trying to calm down the riders in the neutral section. They will immediately start the first climb, the cat 2 Ashton is 10km long, with an aļ·½verage gradient of 5% and pitches up to 17.8%. It should lead to an aggressive start.
Mechanical for Owź§ainš Doull (EF Education-EasyPost) who gets a new bike in the neutral.
And we're officially underway for stage 2 of Tour Down Under. Cooler weather - with a forecast top of 23 degrees Celsius - at šthe crowded start in the streets of Norwood today.
First man to attack is Lź¦uke Burns and he is quišckly followed by Jardi Van Der Lee.
No reaction from the peloton which looks quite relaxed and unconcerned by the attack of Burns (Australia) and Van Der š«Lee (EF Education-EasyPost). Burns sits third in the KOM classification, 2 points out of the lead.
137km to go
Duo of Burns and Van Der Lee quickly established a 1:40 gap to the peloton asź¦ they climb to Ashton. Both are racing the Tour Down Under for the first time in their career.
With 1km to go to the top of the first KOM ź§in Ashton, the two-man breakaway has over four minutes to the relaxed peloton.
200 meters to go. Burns was setting the pace with 200 meters to go, but Van Dāer Lee accelerated at 100 meters to go. The Dutchman was more explosive on the final pitch up to the line and will take maximum points ahead of the Australian.
The team car for the Australian National team isš„ trying to make it through the field to get to their main in the breakaway, Luke Burns, on relatively narrow roads.
ź¦Tristan Sź§aunders (Australia) jumps from the field, followed by a teammate, to nab the remaining KOM points, protecting Burns’ virtual KOM lead.
The duo off the front now have 6:23 lead on the peloton with 126km to go. Which team will react first to control the gap?&ānbsp;
And Jayco-AlUla comes to the front to set the pace with the gą¹ap gš“etting closer and closer to the 7-minute mark.
Results of first KOM:
1- Jordi Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost)
2- Luke Burns (Australia)
3- Tristan Saunders (Australia)
Michael Hepburn's engine at tꦯhe front of the Jayco-AlUla line at the front took one minute off the gap oāf the two-rider breakaway. No other team is interested in assisting in the chase. BORA-hansgrohe is riding behind the Australian WorldTour team, to protect the ochre jersey of Welsford.
Less than 3km to go to the first intermediate sprint of the day with points and time bonus seconds on the line. With a gap of𤪠5:24, Van Der Lee and Burns will be fighting for the first and second place, but there will still be a one-second bonušs up for grabs.
The escapees simply rolled through the intermediate sprint in Woš«odside, they are not interested in the points nor the time bonus seconds.
Israel Premier-Tech, for Corbin Strong, is moving up behind Jašyco in the lead-š¦¹up to the intermediate sprint. Strong is on the wheel of Caleb Ewan. And we just peeped Welsford a few riders behind.
Full sprint in the peloton for that all-important second at the intermediate spriāØnt with UAE Team ADQ in the mix now. Confusion for the riders as to where the line was, but Isaac Del Toro knew and got that one second.
Luke Burns (Australia) and Jardi Ch൩ristiaan Van Der Lee (EF Education-Easypost) in the breakaway of the day
The strš¤”ung-out field goes through the finish line to start the first of three 35km āloops.
Results of first intermediate sprint:
1- Jordi Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost)
2- Luke Burns (Australia)
3- Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates)
100km to go
Still Hepburn setting the pace at the fź¦ront of the peloton in front on his whole team and the šstretched out field. Gap is holding at 5:08.
Change of tactics at the front. BORšA-hansgrohe puts a rider atź§ the front to contribute to the chase, and the gap has been reduced to 4:39 with 96km to go.
‘The new Sam, he&rsquoš;s ša powerhouse’: Danny Van Poppel cź¦ompares Bora-Hansgrohe teammate and stage 1 winner Sam Welsford š§øto Kittel, Greipel
Peloton is on the lower slopes of Fox Creek Climb, with about 5km to the top of the KOM. Gap to the 2 riders off the front at 3:30 with Maciejšuk and Hepburn setting the pace.
Fox Creek Climb which the riders will tackle three times, is 1.63km long with an average gradient of 8,8% and max of 17.8%. KOM points are for grabs the first two times they climb upą¶£.
2km to go to šthe top of the KOM, Burns is setting the pace in the breakaway with Van Der Lee on his wheel as they face a headwind.
Burns jumps first at 200 metres to go and takes top points š¦to increase his virtual leaą“d in the KOM classification, ahead of Van Der Lee.
75km to go
Peloton is climbing at a steady pace, 3:14 behind the breakaway duo. No one from the peloton goes for the remaining KOM poināts.
Less than 1km to the second intermediate sprint and the start of āthe second loop as they cross the finisź§h line in Lobethal. Gap holding at 3:27
Van Der Lee rolls through the intermediate line first,ź¦ followed byš° Burns who is tucked in his wheel.
Battle once again for the remaining bonus second. Split in the peloton which is full leadout mode. Cakleb Ewan beats Del š¦©Toro, who slipped his chain, for third place in the intermediate sprint.&nbšsp;
Results of second intermediate sprint:
1- Jordi Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost)
2- Luke Burns (Australia)
3- Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AlUla)
64km to go, and we’re back to the earliš¤Ŗer formation. Van Der Lee and Burns off the front with 3:10 lead on the field led by Jayco-AlUla’s Hepburn and BORA-hansgrohe’s Maciejuk.
Mechanical for Elia Viviani who calmly gets a new bike from his INEOS Grenadšiers car.
Jayco-AlUla’s Chris Harpeš³r is also chasing back in the convoy of cars. Loads of riders in the convoy after a nature break.
50km to go
Steady process with Jayco-AlUla’s Hepburn and BORA-hansgrohe’s Maciejuk setting the pace at the front š°of the peloton. Gap of 3:21 to the ź§pair of escapees Burns and Van Der Lee.
Luke Burź¦ ns, who is racing for the Australian National Team at the Tour Down Under, is part of Team BridgeLane. Asā a UCI Continental team, BridgeLane cannot compete in a WorldTour race.
Burns battled it out with Luke Plapp at the Tour of Bright - The daš®y that Luke Pš¦lapp and Sarah Gigante broke Mount Buffalo.
Van Der Lee put his hand up for a softening front tire. A mechanic is out to change the wheāel, and that could doom the breakaway. And then, he had to make his way around the neutral car. He lost about one minute.
Viviani who made his way back to the field after gettingš a new bike called for his team car to tighten his cleats.
3km to the Fox Creek KOM. Van Der Lee is trying to make it back to Burns and is on the bumper of the neutral car. Burą²ns was waiting, and they are back together off the front.
1km to the top of the KOM, and for the first time in houą¹rs the gap is under the 3-minute mark.
The two riders are riding alongside each other, and Van Der Lee fights for the pointą¹s but Burns passes him to add points to his KOM lead. What is Burns thinking after he waiź¦ted for Van Der Lee? Cheeky.
Duo rejoins atš the front but they are losing time to the peloton who has not started the chase in earnest. Gap down to 2:28 with 40km što go.
The pair of escapees, working together well, cross the finish line to start the third and final loop which will include oš ·ne more time up Fox Creek Climbź¦ . Gap of 2 minutes.
30km to go
Hepburn and Maciejuk have done yāeoman's work to keep it steady but the chase is ramping up. The gap to Burāns and Van Der Lee is now 1:36.
Burns and Van Der Lee are pushing on, all in at the front. Things are ramping up in the peloton. Ineos Grenadiers add a rider to the chasing power aloą¦ng with BORA-hansgrohe and Jayco-AlUla. Most of the other teams have not their nose in the wind, and are waitinšg to pounce. Gap down to 1 minute with 25km to go.
Under āthe impetus of the fresh legs of Leo Hayter of Ineos Grenadiers, the gap is coming down quickly. Hepburn who did all the pulling for Jayco is done and pulledą± out of the line.
The chase is on!
Ewan keeps looking down at his chain. He’s ź¦at the back of the peloton, talking to his team on the radio.
20km to go
And the catch is made! Burns and Van Der Lee spent over 120km off the fronꦦt.
Ewan stops by the side of the road, takes his computer off his bike anš d quickly gets a new bike.&nbsšp;
Ewan is chasiā±ng solo in the cars, no teammates to help him. He had to burn matches but he catches back on the strung out field.
15km to go which includes the final time up Fox Creek Climb. Ewan isঠholding at the back of the peloton., making no attempt to move forwards.
Teams massing at the front, on the slopes of Foš³x Creek Climb. Girmay, third yesterday, is sitting behind a teammate close to the front.
šIsrael Premier-Tech moving up on the left. Groāupama-FDJ in the middle, Soudal-QuickStep coming forward with Alaphilippe.
Sprinters Welsford and Bauhaus are in the middle of the field which is tightly packed, figāhting for position.
10km to go
Teams keeping the pace aš s high as they can go ošn Fox Creek Climb.
The Australianā National team has lost their position at the front. They are been replaced by BORA-hansgrohe as they head onto the steeper slopes. Soudal Quick-Stā±ep pushes the pace once against.
The peloton is stretching the breaking point. Plapp attacks, Alaphilippe on his š ·whš§eel then Narvaez.
Alaphilippe can’t keep up and swings off. Plapp continues to push with Narvašez on his wheel. Welsford isā in trouble off the back.
Plapp and Narvaez have a gap on the descent off Fox⦠Creek. A few riders trying to get across the 10-second gap.
Del Toro and Fisher-Black get together in the chase wšith 7km to go. Peloton splintered.
Plapp acceleratesꦬ to try and get rid of Narvaez, but š³the Ecuador sticks on his wheel and Plapp refuses to work with him.
Plapp and Narvaez are caught with 5km to goš· and a pause in the acštion.
Israel Premier-Tech at the front of a fairly bišg group which includes Ewan.
Counter by Simmons āwho gets a small gap witšh a Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider.
3km to go
Joining Simmons in the late race atštack is Bastien Tronchon. The gap is opening.
No shortage of riders accelerating in the pelotš„ošÆn. Lots of attacks to try and catch the duo off the front.
1.4km to goš. Tronchon’s teammate is trying to block at the front but the chase is full on.
Counter by Delš± Toro and he goes across and over the top ofš Simmons and Tronchon.
Isaašc Del Toro (UAE Team Emiratesš¹) takes the win!
“So happy, I'm so tired but I enjoy every moment. The last kilometre was so hard, but I tried to finish,” &nbsš p;Del Toro saiš °d.
"It's really gutting. The team rode exceptionally well today and you saw with SšÆteve and I are going 2nd and 3rd. It's definitely a bittersweet."
"We had our eyes on this one, and to get 2nd and 3rd. It'ās still a good day for the team, but we were really wanting to take the win home today, but, yeah, kudos to to the UAE Rider Del Toro, who on today was a nice move at the finish." second place Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) said.
Del Toro takes over the general š”classification with a slim 2-second lead on Strong. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), who finished fourth for the second day in a row, moved up to third overall, seven seconds in arrears.
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