This is the 'queen stage', but the key is the fact that the organisers have made this the final day of racing, rather than the penultimate stage, like it was in the past," says Mitchelton-Scott head sports director Matt White. "In previous years, if you were within 10 seconds of the race lead after Willunga Hill, and going into the final day of racing, you still had a chance of winning the overall on the last day. That dynamic has been taken away, and that puts more importance on Willunga and the result there.
"There are no second chances this year. On Willunga, everyone knows where Richie Porte attacks. It's around the one-kilometre-to-go banner. However, nobody has been able to match his incredible accelerations. The time gaps in those last couple of minutes are always a mystery to a certain extent with cars being barraged and race radio delays, and key riders know they can hold nothing back all the way to the line."
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Frenchman secures first victory in the colours of Tudor Pro Cycling ahead of chasers Pavel Sivakov and Alberto Bettiol -
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Race leader snatches back four seconds on rivals in intermediate sprint on stage 19 -
Vuelta a España stage 19: Jasper Philipsen claims third stage win
Jonas Vingegaard gains four seconds in intermediate sprint bonus -
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Irishman's form gradually picking up after a difficult summer
