Diego Ulissi surprises with Tour Down Under stage win

Having started his sprint early, Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) surprised the overall contenders at the Tour Down Under with victory ahead of race leader Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge). The 150km stage from Prospect to Stirling came alive on the final climb with riders looking for the bonus seconds on offer but it was Ulissi who was the big winner.

"I’ve never believed in my chances to win this stage because I had the impression that Simon Gerrans was by far the strongest. I thought he’d be unbeatable but I managed to beat him thanks to the help of the great team I have behind me," Ulissi said post-race.

"It has a lot to do with the serenity I found by winning a few races at the very end of last season, therefore I could train for this one with no worries and prepare well for Milan-San Remo. This is my first time in Australia and I’m amazed by the incredible affection of the fans. The environment of this race is wonderful."

Garmin-Sharp, courtesy of Lachlan Morton, and Tinkoff-Saxo Bank, working for Rory Sutherland had set a fierce tempo on the climb into Stirling ensuring that no attacks could be launched. Ian Stannard (Sky) gained 30 meters on the peloton but was brought back just as a touch of wheels brought down riders at the back of the bunch.

Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp), Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) and Cadel Evans (BMC) then tried their luck in raising the speed of the small bunch but it all came back together. Daryl Impey started his lead-out for Gerrans but it was Ulissi on the other side of the road who had the pace and momentum to steal the stage. He had enough time to celebrate with his arms aloft while behind Gerrans grabbed crucial bonus seconds to keep his lead for another day.

A slightly disappointed Gerrans said post-race that tomorrow will be a testing day for the team as they look to once again defend their lead. "I would have loved to win the stage again today. It was close but I can't win them all. It didn't surprise me to be sprinting against Diego Ulissi in such a finale like Stirling. He's a classy rider. But I wasn't expecting he'd pass me as fast as he did."

"He's obviously a threat for the overall classification but it's a good result for me today as I have a bigger advantage over my other rivals with the time bonus of the second place. My position on GC is just as good as I could have hoped for. Tomorrow is going to be the most decisive stage with the Corkscrew climb so close to the finish."

It was almost a case of déjà vu when Will Clarke (Drapac) made it into the breakaway and was again joined by a UniSA rider. Today it was Campbell Flakemore and the two Australian were joined by Boy van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing).

There had been several attempts to form a break but once the trio has established a small lead they built on their advantage which at several points throughout the day meant van Poppel was the virtual leader on the road.

The break gobbled up the intermediate sprint points with little fuss but it was at the two KOM’s where Clarke and Flakemore tussled hoping to end the day with the polka dot jersey. Clarke, who was awarded the most aggressive rider prize for the second day in a row, spoke to reporters after the race.

"It’s three years in a row that I break away on the way to Stirling. Unfortunately, the last two haven’t been as successful as two years ago when I stayed away and won. The plan was for me or Travis Meyer to go up the road. Travis nearly got in and I sorted of waited until the next one.

"I went for the KOM and we sort of shared the points of the intermediate sprints. In the next day or two, I’ll take it easy. I feel a bit tired so I’ll back off for another attack a bit later in the race."

"He and I had a little argument with 1km to go. He wanted me to go for myself but I kept supporting him."

Having placed third, Evans moved up in the overall classification and is looking to improve in the coming days. "Today I went too early and got swamped at the finish. Maybe I will get it right in the next few days," Evans said.

"I don't know where Diego came from but obviously with his finish yesterday is pretty good and had the legs and the timing to do it today."

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