Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff) took the first WorldTour win of his career when he timed his bike throw perfectly in the crash-marred uphill sprint in Stirling on stage 2 of the Tour Down Under. After Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) had been one of several riders to hit the deck, the Tinkoff captain launched a long sprint and narrowly held off Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) to take both the stage win and the leader’s jersey.

 

McCarthy: Hopefully I can be on the podium at the end of the week

An explosive sprint, slightly uphill led the Australian rider of Tinkoff on the top step of the podium by winning over a group of tough contenders in a fast-paced finale. Topping off Tinkoff's great day, Manuele Boaro gets the polka dot jersey.

 

A great day in Australia for Tinkoff which saw the Russian team conquer first the King of the Mountains with Manuele Boaro and then the final victory of Jay McCarthy, the home rider, his first as a Pro.

 

The hilly course of 132 km south of Adelaide, starting from Unley and finishing in Stirling, after five laps in the final circuit provided the riders a variety of speeds and favourable weather conditions for a race without too many surprises, except for some small solo breaks, chased and brought back towards the end of the race by the whole group.

 

"Today I felt in good shape", said Jay McCarthy, "and even before the start I was hoping to be able to play my chances, and so was it. Definitely a great victory!"

 

"It's nice to have two team managers with great experience as Lars Michaelsen and Sean Yates you can rely on, and confront with before the start, and listen to their advice. Now I just need to recover at my best and get ready for tomorrow's stage as it will be longer and my work is not finished yet. I hope that in the coming days we can still do well as we did today.

 

“I’ve done this stage for a few years now so we certainly had a plan. This year coming into this race I was in very good shape and before the start today I was hoping to be given a chance. 

 

“The team supported me fully and I’m also given a chance to go for GC (overall) this week as well. It’s great to come out and get the victory today but the week is not finished (and) I hope to recover for Corkscrew (climb) tomorrow.

 

“There’s a lot of work ahead of us but I hope to keep getting more results.

 

“I was lucky enough I had a good nationals a week ago and already before the nationals the team had given me the opportunity and I had prepared to come here as a leader. That was some extra motivation in my pre-season training and I am glad that’s all its sort of paying off and I hope I can keep holding this sort of form throughout the week,” McCarty added to reporters after his stage win.

 

“I was hoping for a top five overall at this race this year, I know I had some good training coming in and I felt like I had some good form so to come out with the victory today, I am not done for the week so hopefully I can keep working hard and go for my goal and hopefully even be on the podium at the end of the week.

 

“This is up there, I've been with this team going onto my fourth year now and last year I had the chance to go for the Tour of Turkey and I finished third overall there so I hope I can keep going upwards.

 

“We can't let any of the big GC threats get away in any moves and obviously I have to be delivered at the Corkscrew tomorrow with fresh legs as possible so I can follow the likes of Richie, Rohan and Simon Gerrans over the top of it so I hope I have enough shape and also on Willunga.

 

"I haven’t had the chance as a WorldTour rider yet to go for an overall victory. Hopefully I can keep it up and I think I can still play a little bit of a underdog role in the overall picture of this race. I feel like the shape’s good and I think we have a good team here to go for it.

“Victor Harbor on page looks like a sprint stage but I think the climb with 28km to go and the crosswinds that we’ve had in the past could be a hard day so our team will have to control that day and also in Willunga, if it's all going well the next two days, then at Willunga I’ll also have to be delivered to that hill ready to go with the best.

 

“They are in really good shape, you’ve seen Gerro today going for the bonus seconds out there and he’s definitely wants to go for the overall and he’s smart enough and strong enough that he knows what he has to do to secure the ochre jersey at the end of the race so he’ll defiantly be a threat over the next few days.”

 

“Since I'm on good form and we're here to ride at the front, I tried the KOM (King of the Mountain) because it was only ten kilometres after the start,” said Boaro. “The whole day has gone well. We knew from the Australian national championships that Jay (McCarthy) was in a great shape.

 

“He's our leader and we'll back him with the aim of winning the Tour Down Under.”

 

"Great win for the team, great win for Jay!", commented sport director Sean Yates. "We are extremely happy because it was a double victory as he also managed to win the Ochre jersey of the race leader. Furthermore, thanks to Manuele Boaro today we also claimed the polka dot jersey.”

 

"It was a good job to be able to put Jay in a good position, as he was already in great shape during the Australian championship, during the last lap both him and Oscar Gatto, the two riders we counted on, were very motivated to do well. It was an excellent team performance crowned by a great victory.

 

“It’s a great win for Jay. We knew he was in good shape and we worked for him today. 

“It’s his first WorldTour win, so it’s a big day for him. We now have the lead, and we are not just going to say, OK, we’ve won a stage, we’re happy. We know that BMC and Orica are the teams here racing for the victory, and we can try to use that to our advantage.

“It’s always good to get that first win of the season under the belt, so to have it come on the second day of racing, everyone’s happy.”

"Tomorrow we will have a hard climb towards the end", concludes Yates, "and there will be a close fight, as the top is located just a few kilometers away from the finish line and the other riders will be very motivated to try and win the overall classification. We will definitely try to defend Jay's jersey, but we'll see what happens tomorrow.”

 

Ulissi: This shows that my form is good

In Stirling where the 2nd stage of the Tour Down Under finished (Unley-Stirling, 132 km), Ulissi obtained an amazing victory in 2014.

Today Ulissi was back in Stirling and he was very close to the success: he was beaten by McCharty who delivered an impressive performance, obtaining the victory and relegating Ulissi to a satisfying 2nd place.

The final kilometer was dramatic, with a crash which did not interfere with the plans of LAMPRE-MERIDA. Ulissi was well supported by his team mates and Pibernik positioned him for the finish where McCharty anticipated everybody, forcing Ulissi to try a comeback which brought him to half wheel from the opponent.
 

The Italian rider beat Dennis, Wyss and Vakoc and he's now 2nd in the overall classification.

"The success would have been amazing for me. It's always so good to start the season with a victory, nevertheless I'm satisfied with the second place, especially because it gives me good feedbacks about my form,” Ulissi explained. “McCharty did an impressive sprint, starting his action early and keeping the speed high thanks to great legs, my compliments. I tried to get back but he succeeded in resisting.
 

”The team supported me perfectly, many thanks especially to Pibernik who was my lead-out man in the final part of the stage.”

Sports director Philippe Mauduit is satisfied with the team spirit and the performance of all the riders.

 

Dennis: I wouldn’t have been third without the crash

Defending champion Rohan Dennis finished third and Danilo Wyss fourth on today’s second stage of the Santos Tour Down Under, won by Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff Saxo).

 

Dennis now sits fourth overall on the General Classification, six seconds behind McCarthy who holds the leader's Ochre Jersey.

 

A crash in the last kilometre made for a tense sprint finish in Stirling, which Dennis said he was lucky to miss.

 

“The plan was just to stay out of trouble. I think if the crash didn’t happen I wouldn’t have been third. I was a little too far back and I was just lucky enough to miss that.”

 

Dennis’ result today has boosted his confidence going into stage 3.

 

“That’s the best I’ve gone on Stirling before. Every other year I’ve struggled, especially in the last 300 metres. So it’s just amazing what happens when you’re in the right place at the right time. Your confidence and everything goes up and you just feel better about the race.

 

“I hope the crash doesn’t hinder (Simon) Gerrans, because no one wants to win like that.”

 

Tomorrow the peloton race 139 kilometres from Glenelg to Campbelltown, which will see the legs tested on the King of the Mountain on Corkscrew Road.

 

“Today was another opener and another ticked box before tomorrow’s first real GC hit out. That’s going to be the real test of how my form is,” Dennis admitted.

 

“I’ve got a little bit more confidence going into tomorrow. Being able to sprint at the end of the stage still fairly strong in the last 300 metres does give me confidence for Corkscrew and then downhill into the Campbelltown finish.”

 

Unfazed Vakoc: I can do much better than this

Despite being caught behind a crash with less than one kilometer to go, Czech champion Petr Vakoc didn't give up and put on a strong surge in the uphill finish of stage 2.

 

“I have to say, it was pretty hard today. We started the stage at a really fast tempo, and the heat was also an issue for most of the riders. But we were lucky that we could take on fresh bidons and ice every lap.

 

”Then we started to go really fast in the last 30 km, just before the start of the last lap, and with just 10 km to go at the bottom of the last climb, the guys did a really good job to position me at the front. They protected me on the uphill, and I started the last few kilometres in a really good position. Unfortunately I was a bit blocked at the roundabout with around 1.5 km to go, and then with less than 1 km to go, there was a crash in front of me, which made me lose a few metres or so.

 

“So I started to sprint in the last few hundred metres, and I eventually came in 5th place. But under these circumstances, I am really satisfied. I know I can do much better, but after my win at the Tour of Poland, this is best result in a World Tour race for me so, I am really happy”, said the Czech champion, who now looks with confidence to the next stages of the race.

 

At the hotel, sport director Rik van Slycke sat down and explained the tactic of Etixx – Quick-Step on stage 2, praising Vakoč and his teammates for their work:

 

“Our plan was that Petr should stay covered on the wheels of the overall contenders like Gerrans and the BMC riders Porte and Dennis, and he should not move until the last few kilometers. I think he did a perfect job and his teammates helped him out very well.

 

“Unfortunately there was a crash, and it took him some time to catch up. But if you watch Petr’s sprint, you can see that we had the perfect plan and it worked very well.

 

“Tomorrow the temperature should be a bit lower. The guys are suffering from the heat, but it’s not only our team, but also the others in the race. It has been quite extreme for the past two days, with temperatures of reaching around 35 degrees. But we are able to manage with ice, sunscreen, cold drinks and refreshments. So for today, coping with the temperatures went okay, but we will see what tomorrow brings”

 

Bevin: It’s a learning curve

Paddy Bevin (Cannondale) had his eyes on the Stirling stage and the form to contend. A crash in the final kilometre led to a choatic finish, and Bevin ultimately finished in sixth place in the uphill sprint.

 

"I had about three go's in the last kilometre - one to get around Gerrans, who had crashed, and another when we got pinched into the barriers as it swelled as you kind of hit the last pinch up to the line.

 

“At this level, you don't have an opportunity to fix those sort of mistakes, so it was a bit terminal even before I opened up the sprint. It's a learning curve for me - and one I'll take on."

 

Lobato unable to repeat last year’s victory

It wasn't to be this time for Juanjo Lobato, after his magnificent display twelve months ago in Stirling's finish, as the Movistar Team had to stay content with a seventh place for the Trebujena-born rider on stage two of the Tour Down Under. The 132km, practically a circuit race after a short transfer from the start in Unley, had a bunch always controlling breaks tightly and only letting Adam Hansen (LTS) go until the final 20km.

 

At the always-complicated final kick, a crash in the last kilometer ruined most chances for a peloton in which Lobato was already looking for his sprinting distance. Local Jay McCarthy (TNK) narrowly took the honours from Diego Ulissi (LAM), while Lobato, second top-ten finisher for the Blues so far this week, now sits in 6th overall. Thursday will bring the first mountains of the race, with the Corkscrew Road (2.5km at 9% avg.) located just next to Campbelltown's finish and set to cause a major shake-up in the standings.

 

”Today I had better feelings but I failed to repeat from last year. However, it is very important to continue to improve for the next objectives,” Lobato tweeted after the stage.

 

“What a day. That I wasn't on the ground is a miracle! I had to put the foot on the ground and then it was see you later alligator,” Jose Joaquin Rojas tweeted.

 

Henao shows form in Stirling, Puccio abandons

Sergio Henao impressed with an eighth place finish on stage two at the Tour Down Under following a wild finish in Stirling.

 

The Colombian dug deep on the famous uphill power finish after Team Sky had done a lot of work in the closing stages.

 

Pete Kennaugh launched a stinging attack heading into the final kilometre, but it didn't all go to plan, with Geraint Thomas finding himself caught behind a crash in sight of the finish.

 

With no time loss due to the three kilometre rule the Welshman was able to cross the line without issue, but the day belonged to Jay McCarthy who picked up his first professional victory.

 

The Australian (Tinkoff) outlasted Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) on the tough finish to narrowly edge out the win, with Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) taking further bonus seconds with third. The win was enough to see McCarthy move into the race lead for good measure.

 

With 6.2km to go Team Sky had hit the peloton hard, stringing out the bunch on the run to the finish with Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard doing a lot of damage. The result means that Henao, Kennaugh and Thomas all remain in touch ahead of Thursday's key climbing stage on Corkscrew Road.

 

After the dust had settled Sport Director Kurt Asle Arvesen gave us the rundown on a day which saw the team show great form but drop to six riders.

 

He explained: "It was a very tough stage and it was really difficult right from the start. It was very hot and up and down all day. The lap in Stirling is always hard but when we do five of them it's especially tough.

 

"There weren't too many attacks when we got to the circuits so the race wasn't too hard to control. We were sorry to lose Salvatore today. He didn't feel good after the stage yesterday. He got through the night okay and felt a little bit better this morning. He was fighting for a long time but he couldn't finish the stage. We'll look after him now and get him back on track.

 

"The three guys who were up there at the end are all feeling really good so I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do tomorrow - especially G and Sergio - but it was great to see Pete out there attacking today. G was held up behind the crash but he didn't suffer any injuries.”

 

First top 10 for Battaglin in LottoNL-Jumbo jersey

Enrico Battaglin moved to seventh place overall in the general classification of the Tour Down Under after the second stage Wednesday. After a hectic final to Stirling, he finished tenth behind the day’s winner Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff).

“The race was in control until the final eight kilometres,” sports director Frans Maassen said. “We tried to bring George Bennett, Primoz Roglic and Enrico Battaglin to good positions for the final afterwards. Enrico was well placed until a group of riders crashed. Because of that crash, we had to give an extra effort to lead him out perfectly. Had the crash not happened, he could have taken a better result than this 10th place.”

 

Arredondo back in form in Australia

Stage two at the Santos Tour Down Under reached its crescendo in the last stair-stepped kilometers where a late crash in the final meters caused Julian Arredondo to lose his momentum but still hang on to finish 11th. 

 

"With 20kms to go we could see it was already too hard for Giacomo [Nizzolo]," explained director Adriano Baffi. "Our plan then was to have Jack [Bobridge] soften things up with a few attacks and Julian make the sprint. But the crash happened just in front of Julian, and he said he lost a few meters, and although he was able to come back, the sprint was already full gas."

 

The 132-kilometer race was a one-man show until 19 kilometers from the end after Adam Hanson (Lotto Soudal) attacked with some100 kilometers remaining and stayed out front until the fifth and final lap. 

 

The peloton was back to one bunch and as expected stage two played out its climax the sixth and final time up the climb to the finish line. Arredondo appeared in good form until a tangle of bikes and bodies at 500 meters to go eliminated favorite Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) from possible victory and impeded Arredondo from finishing further ahead. The three-kilometer ruling eradicated all time gaps; Arredondo sits in 11th overall, his GC ambitions alive and well.

 

Kiel Reijnen was unable to assist in the finale after riding off the road and onto the dirt shoulder in a fast downhill corner. Although he avoided a nasty spill with some deft bike handling, he sustained a double puncture.  With 10 kilometers to go, the race was full-on, and Reijnen had no chance to rejoin the peloton.

 

"I had bad luck the last couple of days – four flats now in two days," said Reijnen. "Hopefully, that's the end of the flats for me for the week. But I am really disappointed because today's stage was one where I think I could have been a good teammate - good help for Jack and Julian. And if I had good legs it was a good finish for me as well. It was a bad day to have bad luck."

 

Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff) won the stage, barely holding off Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) at the line. McCarthy also claimed the leader's jersey.

 

Tomorrow the six-day race continues with a 139-kilometer third stage that includes the infamous Corkscrew Road climb before a fast descent to the finish in Campbelltown.

 

Ludvigsson grabs rare chance to lead Giant-Alpecin

TOBIAS LUDVIGSSON SHOWED STRONG PERFORMANCE IN THE ADELAIDE HILLS ON STAGE 2 OF THE TOUR DOWN UNDER, TAKING HIM TO 10TH OVERALL. JAY MCCARTHY (TINKOFF) WON THE STAGE AND GRABS THE OVERALL LEAD.

 

On the final uphill everything came back together again as Tobias Ludvigsson and Georg Preidler were just able to evade a late crash to finish strongly, in 13th and 20th position, respectively. Jay McCarthy had the strongest punch to take his first professional victory and the leader’s jersey.

 

“This was real teamwork and I am very thankful for the work the guys did for me,” said Tobias. “In the final 50 meters I got in trouble and lost a couple of positions. But I am happy to be in the GC top 10. The legs felt good and the high temperature wasn’t a problem for me today.”

 

Giant-Alpecin coach Aike Visbeek explained: “The plan was to drop off Tobias inside the top 10 at the 2km mark, which worked out well. We’ve used the experience of Koen [De Kort] and Simon [Geschke] to position the team and I am very happy with the way it went. The guys start to feel stronger by the day.”

 

Poor form forces Pelucchi to abandon

“After this second stage, the differences in time are still small, so everything is still possible for the GC, and that is a good thing.”  Such is the assessment made by IAM Cycling’s directeur sportif Kjell Carlström after a mixed day for the team on the Australian roads. 

 

“To make a bigger difference in the overall standings, it was necessary to attack earlier,” Carlström continued.  “But that was not an easy task because the peloton was travelling at such a fast tempo from the start in Unley.  With an average speed of 38km/h combined with overwhelming heat once again that faced the riders, and a demanding profile made this stage a real ordeal, that’s for sure.”

 

"Matteo Pelucchi was forced to abandon the stage after only four kilometers of racing.  He was just not in shape,” Kjell Carlström said when discussing the result of the Italian sprinter.  I think it is best for him to return to Europe to continue his preparation for his next goals in races that will take place on the old continent.”

  

“It was a stage for me; the profile suited my qualities,” David Tanner admitted after crossing the finish line.  “And even without a victory bouquet at the end of the day, I still felt good sensations throughout the final, which bodes well for the rest of the race.  With Aleksejs Saramotins, we worked at the head of the pack with two kilometers remaining, but I was still justmissing a little something.  I will remain confident, though, about the fact that I will be making further progress before the end.”

 

A significant crash took down several riders in the final kilometer of the second stage.  IAM Cycling escaped with no casualties from that fall, which meant that al the riders from the Swiss team were able to cross the line unscratched, not having hit the deck.

 

Haas taken out of contention by late crash

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka had Nathan Haas, Cameron Meyer and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg all in the mix with Jaco Venter again having done some good work during the finale. While most of the sprinters lost contact on the uphill gradient, it was still a large group that entered the final km.

Unfortunately, there was a coming together of some riders which caused a large crash just after the red kite. Meyer and the rest of the African Team weren't directly involved but the carnage put an end to our chances today as Tinkoff got the hole shot around the bodies in the road.

 

“It was a hot a day and I think a lot of guys suffered out there today,” Meyer said. “It was a big group at the finish, we didn't race too hard on the circuit, the start was hard but the circuit wasn't too hard which allowed 60 odd guys to come to the finish.

 

“There was a crash that disturbed Nathan and Reinie, I was caught up a little bit but I got through. Everyone should get the same time though. It was not the result we wanted but no time was lost and there are no injuries so that is good. ”

 

”It's a shame Impy got taken out in that sprint! Was on Gerro's wheel and felt very very fast. Missed the chance:( but tomorrow is a new day,” Haas tweeted after the stage.

 

Katusha keep GC options alive in tricky finale

Team KATUSHA riders worked well in the final, staying in front and saving their positions for the GC battle in next stages. Rein Taaramäe was 23rd, Tiago Machado 26th, Egor Silin finished 34th, while Alexey Tsatevich and Sergey Lagutin crossed the finish line at 53rd and 59th positions, respectively; all with the same time as the winner.

 

”It was another warm day here, in Australia. Indeed, these days are very hot, and the heat has a big impact on the riders. The stage was pretty hard, always up and down, but we tried to stay in front and to save the positions. In the final km there was a big crash, but hopefully, nobody of our team was involved. Tomorrow, I think, could be the first day for GC riders,” said sports director Dmitry Konyshev.

 

Westra: I am not to blame for the crash

"I'm so sorry not having been able to do the sprint, because the team worked a lot and in a very perfect way to help me. Unfortunately, the crash happened exactly in the moment when the sprint was starting,” Luis Leon Sanchez said after stage 2.

 

It had been a positive day for the Astana Pro Team at Santos Tour Down Under. In this very hot summer, the stage was evolving as it had been predicted by the sports director.

 

After a long escape, the race was heading to a selective bunch sprint on the Stirling hill. Right in the crucial moment at the start of the sprint, Lieuwe Westra who was leading captain Luis Leon Sanchez, was involved in a big crash that took him out from the sprint and forced Sanchez to brake.

 

"Let's see it in a positive way: we are in very good condition and I didn't crash today,” concluded the European Champion.

 

"I wanted to sprint but suddenly I was on the ground,” Westra told Wielerflits. "I was hit by one from Orica-GreenEDGE who was riding behind me. I hate it because I really had super legs. I did not feel anything.  That is why it is so frustrating as I would otherwise have been in contention for a stage win. Fortunately, my GC ambitions have not been hampered. Those who crashed got the same time. Anyway, tomorrow a new opportunity.”

 

Hansen: It was a good try

Lotto Soudal animated the stage between Unley and Stirling. Right after the start Thomas De Gendt escaped the pack. He was in the company of Manuele Boaro, Yoann Offredo and Patrick Lane. The four got a maximal lead of one minute, but the peloton didn’t let them go. After twenty kilometres they were caught. Then Adam Hansen took his chance. The Aussie of Lotto Soudal – his family came to watch the race – started a solo and would stay ahead until the last twenty kilometres of the stage.

 

“We knew we wanted to race aggressively today and after that first group was caught, I decided to go,” said Hansen. “It's always complicated when you are one alone against the pack, but it was a good try.”

 

Unscathed Gerrans: All is not lost

Three-time winner and 2016 general classification aspirant Simon Gerrans has been taken down by a crash in the final kilometre of stage two at the Santos Tour Down Under.

 

Gerrans was perfectly positioned behind teammate Daryl Impey coming into the final only to have a touch of wheels and crash occur immediately ahead, taking the pair out.

 

Softening the blow, the 35-year-old picked up five bonus seconds at intermediate sprints to keep him in contention for the overall title.

 

"The stage was really going to plan, the guys rode the near perfect race for us. They dragged that break back so we could do the intermediate sprint where I won it and Caleb was second before Adam obviously slipped away," Gerrans told reporters. "We were able to take some more valuable seconds at the next sprint and then coming into the finish the guys were exactly where they needed to be, we were really well placed and Daryl was about to go around the group and open up when someone hit the wheel in front of him and just fell straight in front of him.

 

"So he went down, and I went over the top with nowhere to go. All’s not lost for the day, we picked up a valuable five seconds on the road but I am bitterly disappointed that we didn’t finish off the team work with a win at the end of the stage."

 

"No not at all, as soon as I picked myself up again I knew that nothing was severely wrong," said Gerrans if he feared for the worst. "Obviously I asked Daryl how he was straight away and he seems to be fine. Onto the next stage now…

"It’s not ideal but credit to Rohan, he rode strong in the finish there. He’s not an overly quick guy so he’s obviously in good shape. I think you look at the guys who were up in the finish there, we obviously knew Jay and Rohan were in good shape with their rides at the national championships and Ulissi showed that he is good shape as well.

 

“Two of the times that I won they’ve come down to placings. All was not lost, because I don’t think I stuck my nose out into the wind more than a few minutes all day. The team did a great job protecting me.”

 

"Every second is important and it’s unfortunate that I conceded some time to Rohan and the three guys who were on the podium today but it’s still a long way to go. I think what I was able to do on the road today, I only poked my nose in the wind for a few metres there. The way the whole team rode, they are making my life as easy as possible so I can’t thanks them enough for their work."

 

Sport director Matt White, said it was an unfortunate end to the stage but was proud of the efforts on whole team today.

 

“I’m really proud of the boys,” White said. “Again they took responsibility and delivered.”

 

“We picked up some good time bonuses today, which was the plan, and they did everything perfectly right up until a few hundred metres to go when they were taken out at no fault of their own at a crucial moment.

 

“The good news is that Daryl and Simon are both OK and will be able to start tomorrow.”