Hunter: Austrian victory birthday present for my daughter

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Robbie Hunter (RadioShack) may not be racing where he would've liked to be in July, but the South African didn't let that get in the way of an impressive sprint win in the first stage of the Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt. For Hunter, who many tipped to ride the Tour de France with Australian Robbie McEwen who was also overlooked, the win was particularly sweet because it also fell on his daughter's birthday.

"It's nice to win today," said Hunter after the race. "The team worked well and had confidence in me, which always makes it a lot easier."

"Team Sky worked hard for their man [Chris] Sutton. [But] Gregy Rast and Michal Kwiatkowski brought me to the sprint perfectly positioned. I waited a long time and only went full gas at 100 meters from the line."

Surprisingly the win today was only the second of the year for the RadioShack rider. His first victory was back in February of this year, when he won at the Tour de Mumbai. Hunter also earned himself the leader's jersey, but his spell in yellow will likely be short with Monday's mountaintop finish on the Kitzbüheler Horn likely to be too much for the sprinter.

Although missing what would've have been his ninth Tour de France came as a blow, the sprinting veteran has his sights now set firmly on doing well in the Vuelta a Espana and the world championships later in the year.