Final day victory for Andre Greipel at the Tour Down Under

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The final day of the Santos Tour Down Under saw Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) claim his second stage win at this year's race and 16th overall while Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) won a record third Tour Down Under overall classification on Australia Day. Just as he did in 2012, Gerrans continued his fine January form by repeating the double win of the Australian national road race and the Tour Down Under overall.

"Chapeau to my team-mates, they rode incredibly fast so I could save myself for the last moment. This is a very nice victory for us. I had fast legs today and I’m confident in my capacities these days. It was difficult to keep the peloton together but everyone knew where we’d start the lead out," Greipel said after winning the race. For the third year in a row it was Mark Renshaw (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) who was second best to Greipel.

"This new circuit is really fast but we have enough experience in the team to adjust ourselves to a new course. I’m really happy to come out of the Santos Tour Down Under as a winner again."

On the new 85km circuit raced on Australia Day it was the Australians who came to the party with Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) wrapping up the KOM jersey, Jack Haig (UniSA) claiming the white young riders jersey while GreenEdge well and truly won big with Gerrans taking home the overall and points jersey which was capped off with victory in the team classification.

A relieved Simon Gerrans spoke about the win after the race and what it meant to claim a record third win on Australia Day. "It was a pretty nervous day, the race was there to be won by a number of riders so we made sure we stayed at the front and out of trouble. I'm really thrilled to get through it unscathed."

"I've got my third Tour Down Under win thanks to an outstanding team. This is an Australian team, on Australia Day, in a World Tour event, what else could I ask for?"

There was no last day change to the overall and GreenEdge director sportif Matt White was relieved with Gerrans victory and lauded plaudits on the seven riders who secured the team classification.

"It's special for us. Today is a funny day. Not that it was an anti-climax, but yesterday was the day. We didn't want to chase the time bonuses today. We could enjoy the win," White said.

"Tour Down Under is a special race for us. It's the only World Tour race on home soil, to come away with the win, and the team classification, it's a brilliant way to start the season."

How the race unfolded
There was always the possibility that Evans and Ulissi would try to wrest the leaders jersey off Gerrans by chasing the bonus seconds on offer at the intermediate sprint points. When a three man break formed there was little reaction from the peloton who were happy to let them go.

Will Clarke (Drapac), Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Angelo Tulik (Europcar) formed the first group but when Tulik crashed on a right-hand corner, it almost brought down Belkov. It was then a two man break until Julien Bérard (Ag2r-La Mondiale) joined the duo which maintained a lead between one and two minutes for around 60km.

Clarke’s rear wheel came into contact some glass, forcing him into a wheel change. Belkov and Bérard realised the break was more likely to survive if Clarke was there to help out and waited for him to rejoin.

The three man break nullified any attempt by Evans or Ulissi to pick up bonus seconds. Orica-GreenEdge spent the majority of the race on the front controlling affairs never looking flustered.

When the break was caught on the 15th lap of 18, the trains of Lotto-Belisol, Giant-Shimano, Cannondale and Omega Pharma-Quick Step all came to the front and a sprint finish was then inevitable. Clarke did enough to claim his third most aggressive rider of the race as the Pro-Continental Drapac outfit, who finished third in the teams classification, proved they were worthy of their wildcard invite to the WorldTour race.

Marcel Kittel lost his teammates wheels and Lotto then pounced as Jurgen Roelandts dropped Greipel off while the Omega Pharma-Quick Step duo of Andrew Fenn and Mark Renshaw tried to catch the German champion. Fenn said after the race that the high pace in the final laps proved too much for him to take the win. "It was full-gas to the finish line. We wanted Renshaw to go early to try to jump Greipel, but he was blocked in by the fence. I tried to go, from the left, but against the wind and against those guys, I just didn't have the legs," Fenn said.

The overall classification rivals all finished in the bunch and with no change to the podium places Gerrans ensured he became the first rider to win three Tour Down Under’s after triumphing in 2006 and 2012.

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