Tour Down Under: Lobato wins in Stirling

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Juan Jose Lobato became the latest in a long line of Movistar riders to excel at the Tour Down Under as he sprinted to victory in Stirling ahead of Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) and his Movistar teammate Gorka Izagirre Insausti. Jack Bobrdige (UniSA) finished on the same time as Lobato in 20th place to hold onto the overall lead.

"I am very content to start the season like this and I am grateful for my team. I've had two years of good results, and I couldn't started off 2015 any better," Lobato told reporters after becoming the third European rider to win on the circuit after Diego Ulissi (2014) and Tom-Jelte Slagter (2013).

"The GC? Well, that's more complicated, but we have riders here for the overall. I am not discounting anything. I came here to go well on this finale, and I've raced here the past two years. We did some training here last week."

After catching the day's three-rider breakaway just before the start of the final 21km finishing circuit, the major teams began to line up on the front to set up their sprinters or GC hopefuls. BMC, Orica-GreenEdge, Cannondale-Garmin, Tinkoff-Saxo, Giant-Alpecin, IAM and Team Sky were all present, but it was Movistar that placed two riders in the top three.

Cannondale dropped off Nathan Hass with about 300 meters to go, but the slightly uphill drag proved too much for the Australian, and the others swept past him before the line. Giant's GC hopeful Tom Dumoulin was fourth, followed by BMC's Cadel Evans and Astana's Luis León Sánchez. Sky's Richie Porte was seventh, while Haas ended up in ninth.

"Maybe my legs were not as good as I had hoped they would be there in the end," Haas said after the stage. "At the end of the day, I am a guy that likes to hit out. I never like to wait. If you feel the moment, you have to go, you have to trust it. It’s disappointing, but tomorrow is another day."

Fifth place for Evans was outside the time bonuses but the Australian, who lost the race by just once second last year, explained the race and his GC hopes are far from finished.

"I don't know if I'm quite as good as I was last year, I was a bit jumpier and that," Evans said. "But as I said it's the first race of the year we don't know who's good, we don't know how well others are going at this level and today's the first day I think we really see the contenders overall and I think maybe Lobato will be the guy to beat. Still a lot more racing yet. Of course I'd like to have more time bonuses but I'll take the situation as it is and look to tomorrow."

How it unfolded
The peloton decided the best way to start stage 2 was fast with a frantic early pace as riders tried to establish the breakaway. Jeremy Roy (FDJ) successfully rode off the front after numerous riders had given it a crack. Rob Power (UniSA) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) joined the French man and quickly dropped him.

That duo’s attempt wasn’t to be, but De Gendt, Peter Stetina (BMC), Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge), Alex Howes (Cannondale-Garmin), Oliver Zaugg (Tinkoff-Saxo), Jose Herrada Lopez (Movistar) and Yves Lampaert (Etixx-Quick Step) attacked the peloton again. That move was then also brought back because the peloton was apparently unhappy with the composition.

Meyer soloed off the front as he tried to break free once again and was joined by De Gendt, with Campbell Flakemore (BMC) time trialling his way over and forming the trio. As they passed through Piccadilly with 20km raced, their lead was 1:35 over a splintering main bunch led by Team Sky.

The rolling roads of the Adelaide hills had caught out a few riders expecting an easier start to the day, although once the break was established, it was gruppo compacto back in the peloton.

When Meyer won the race in 2011, it was in part due to the time he earned from a breakaway which included De Gendt. Despite the threat that the break posed, the trio were allowed a lead that maxxed out at 3:35 minutes. De Gendt took the only KOM of the day to move level at the top of the classification with Jack Bobridge. At the first intermediate sprint point it was the Dutchman again claiming the honours.

Back in the bunch it was Team Sky, IAM Cycling and UniSA controlling the chase. IAM Cycling was riding for Haussler, Sky for Porte and UniSA was riding as the team of the race leader with Jack Bobridge.

With 50km left to race, De Gendt cleaned up again as he sprinted to claim the second intermediate sprint point of the day by several bike lengths in Mylor. The trio then turned towards Stirling in anticipation of the two circuits around the town with their lead down to 1:57.

As the peloton crossed over the finish line in Stirling the gap was out to 2:20 with IAM Cycling and Sky ensconced at the front of the bunch and the average speed at 38.5km/h for the five kilometres preceding the finish line.

Once on the circuit, the speed upped to 42km/h in the peloton, and the break's advantage was cut down to 1:35 with 30km left to race and IAM Cycling’s Stef Clement doing all the work on the front.

The bright colours of Tinkoff-Saxo and LottoNL-Jumbo started appearing at the front of the bunch once the catch was made, but it remained IAM Cycling and Team Sky, with Neil van der Ploeg (UniSA) at the pointy end of the arrowhead.

Through the finish line for the penultimate time, it was IAM Cycling leading the bunch as Etixx-Quick Step made its first appearance of the day with Gianni Meersman their man. Once the peloton exited the town, Calvin Watson (Trek) and Danilo Wyss (BMC) attacked with 19km left in the day to get several hundred metres and 10 seconds clear.

With the peloton working hard to bring the two breakaway riders back, Power crashed and was forced to chase back on as IAM Cycling and Team Sky still controlled the race. UniSA continued to work hard and had Bobridge up in fourth wheel with seven kilometres to go once the two leaders were reeled in.

With the bunch spread across the road, the GC men were positioning themselves for the final sprint to the climb, and with 5km left, Team Sky owned the left-hand side of the race and Etixx-Quick Step the right. Behind them was Astana and Cannondale-Garmin.

With 3.8km to go, BMC moved forward with Evans as Orica-GreenEdge brought up Clarke and Impey. One kilometre later and it was all green and black with Cannondale-Garmin all over the front.

Haas was the first to go with 300 metres as Impey and Meersman then hit out, but it was the fast finishing Lobato doing the job and going one better than he did in the People’s Choice Classic.

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