January 23/09 10:00 am - Tour Down Under Stage 4

Posted by Editoress on 01/23/09
 

Tour Down Under: Stage 4
Report courtesy organizers

Queensland's Allan Davis (Quickstep) has claimed his second stage win to increase his overall lead in the 2009 Tour Down Under. Davis held off sprint rival and fellow Australian Graeme Brown (Rabobank) across the line into Angaston with Spaniard Jose Rojas (Caisse d'Epargne) third.

"This is an amazing result for me and the Quickstep team," said Davis who seemed to find something special with the ochre leader's jersey on his shoulders. "I think I did, [find something special] at one kilometre to go I was pretty buggered and Rabobank were well lined up for Graeme Brown.

"I just jumped on his wheel and he did an awesome sprint," explained Davis. "It opened up like it did yesterday and I got a good run into the line."

The win gives Davis a ten second time bonus, which split yesterday's deadlock and puts him four seconds ahead of Brown and 15 seconds clear of Stuart O'Grady heading into Saturday's penultimate and, by all predictions, decisive stage of the Tour through McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula and including two loops up Old Willunga Hill.

"That is the great thing about this race, everyone gets an opportunity if they want it they have to just go and take it; it's in their own hands," said Davis who finished second overall last year. "A few of us have got the opportunity to win this race tomorrow and I am just happy to have been in the jersey over these three days and two wins is unbelievable for the team.

"We are happy no matter what."

Today began with more than seven thousand recreational cyclists heading off at 6:00 am from the stage start line at Burnside Village Shopping Centre in the Mutual Community Challenge Tour, part of the Skoda Breakaway Series, following the route through the Adelaide Hills and onto the Barossa Valley town of Angaston - the same route the professional peloton travelled later the same day.

The Tour Down Under arrived at the start line several hours later to roll out of Burnside Village for a 12 kilometre neutralised section before the flag dropped on Gorge Rd for the start of the 143 km fourth stage which drew an estimated 93,000 spectators.

After the mayhem of yesterday's stage, where riders were buffeted by gale force winds, today began in calmer conditions and, as expected, with an early break. Vladimir Efimkin (AG2R La Mondiale), Andoni Lafuente (Euskaltel - Euskadi) and Travis Meyer (UniSA) rode off the front after ten kilometres of racing through the Adelaide Hills and established a lead that would endure for most of the day. Meyer, who had instigated the attack, had mechanical problems and swapped to a spare bike to give the team mechanic time to make repairs before he again stopped to swap back onto his own bike, but in both cases rejoined his breakaway companions.

The peloton seemed content to let the trio go as none were within striking distance of the overall win and by the first SA Lotteries intermediate sprint of the day at Mt Pleasant (46.7 km) the trio were around seven minutes ahead.

Lafuente won the sprint ahead of Ekimkin and Meyer.

"I really wanted the win today and until the hill I really was feeling quite good and it felt quite easy," said Meyer, 19, who is the younger brother of Cameron, 21, who rides with the Garmin-Slipstream ProTour team. "It suits my style of riding just to chop off all day in a small group but the hill took it out of us a bit and it started to get really windy and the roads were dead.

"I was very impressed by the way he rode (yesterday)," said Meyer commenting on the solo attack by his brother Cameron in yesterday's stage. "It doesn't surprise me; I have seen my brother do that plenty of times and I have been in hiding in the peloton pretty much all week so I wanted to get out there and give it a shot.

"I initiated the break, it didn't quite work out, but I got my name out there so I am happy." he said.

The time gap began to drop, and when the leaders contested the second SA Lotteries sprint at Williamstown (74 km) the margin was down to five minutes. The results across the sprint line were a repeat of the previous one, as Lafuente crossed first ahead of Efimkin and Meyer.

As the race headed towards the only Skoda King of the Mountain climb of the day up Menglers Hill, which was lined with fans, Meyer and Efemkin stayed clear, dropping LaFuente. Meantime, the peloton was splitting on the climb as several riders tried to escape up the eight percent gradient including Australian Matthew Lloyd (Silence Lotto) and Frenchman David Moncoutie (Francaise des Jeux).

Across the summit Efimkin claimed the maximum points ahead of Meyer with LaFuente next over the top. Garmin-Slipstream's Ryder Hesjedal (CAN) pipped the challengers for third place and Lloyd's team mate Tom Stubbe (Silence Lotto) claimed the rest of the points.

Down the other side of the climb Rabobank got organised on the front and set up the train to keep the race together in a bid to give Graeme Brown a shot at the win, and the chance to take over the lead. But Quickstep protected Davis and as the peloton surged into Angaston amid a sea of yellow Mutual Community Challenge Tour jerseys, Davis put himself in a great position. Brown led out and looked like he might steal the win but Davis found the extra he needed to get past his rival on the line.

Brown was disappointed not to have won the stage, particularly given the work his team had done.

"It was a bit of a shame, more so for the good work the team did," said Brown. "They rode so well, you don't get to see some of the things they do, but they rode in the wind for me all day.

"They would go back and get bidons and stuff like that. Throughout the course of the whole race they were great, but at the finish it was sensational.

"I am a little bit disappointed for the team that I could not win for them," said Brown. "I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow. Even if I can't quite get over the top [with the leaders], they will be there to get me back on, so I am pretty confident of the team and I have 100% confidence in the team's ability."

Davis now leads the Tour Down Under overall and holds the lead in the SA Lotteries Sprint Classification. LaFuente has reclaimed his lead in the Skoda King of the Mountains Classification, Efimkin was named Hindmarsh Most Aggressive Rider of the stage, Jose Rojas retained his lead in the Cycle Instead Best Young Rider (U25) category and Franciase des Jeux leads the Quit Smoking Teams Classifications.