Cadel Evans (BMC) had seemed to be the strongest climber in the race when he dropped all his rivals on the Corkscrew in the Tour Down Under but today he was on the back foot on the queen stage of the race. The 2011 Tour de France winner lost the overall lead to Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) and admits that it will be very hard to regain the jersey in the final criterium in Adelaide.

Cadel Evans fought his way to a sixth-place finish Saturday on Old Willunga Hill, but the BMC Racing Team leader slipped out of the overall lead by one second to Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE). Evans attacked in the final two kilometers of the 151.5-km race. But Richie Porte (Team Sky) countered the move and soloed away to win the stage.

Meanwhile, Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) and Gerrans – both of whom Evans initially distanced – worked together to catch him. But after launching multiple attacks earlier on the climb and again in the final kilometer, Evans lost contact with the pair in the final 100 meters.

He rolled across the finish line four seconds after Ulissi out-sprinted Gerrans for second. Coupled with a four-second time bonus earned for placing third, Gerrans regained the Ochre leader's jersey he had held for the first two days but gave up to Evans after Stage 3.

Evans said he anticipated the lead-in to the second of two ascents of Willunga Hill would be important. The past Tour de France champion received a strong escort, first from Danilo Wyss and then from Brent Bookwalter. But the pair was the only two other BMC Racing Team riders to make the split when Orica-GreenEDGE forced the pace the first time up the climb.

"In the end, I have to say Orica rode fantastic and they raced for every second here all week," he said. "When they put pressure on me after the king of the mountain sprint after that first time up Willunga, it caught some of our team on the back foot. That cost me at the start (of the climb) where I had to make my moves to secure the overall."

Heading into Sunday's 20-lap, 85.5-kilometer circuit race in Adelaide, Evans is four seconds ahead of Ulissi and nine seconds ahead of Porte. Time bonuses of three, two and one second are on offer for the final stage in the form of two intermediate sprints, as well as bonuses of 10, six and four seconds at the finish line.

"The race isn't over," he said, "but we are going against a team that is specifically designed for this race. We don't have a pure sprinter here. The difference between first and second and maybe even third on GC (general classification) could come down to the intermediate seconds. So if you don't come here with a lead out team and sprinters, it becomes quite difficult to achieve."

Evans' main goal of the season remains the Giro d'Italia and with that in mind he is happy with the outcome of the race.

"I think I am riding as good as I had hoped or maybe even better here," he said. "The performance has demonstrated that. I - and also the team - have fought against a team specifically targeting this race. We come here with most of our Giro group. Looking towards the Giro, I think it was the optimal performance here.

"The steps towards the Giro are going well but we have come here with a Giro team, not a specific Tour Down Under team. If you get beaten by a better rider and a better team, that's the way the sport goes. The race was a good one because the best man and the best team will win.

"Most of all, my goal for this year was to start off well and get back to my best level. With that in mind, I have come away with the race very satisfied. But when it is possible to win and you don't, it's a little bit disappointing."