Tour Down Under Stage 5 – Live Coverage

Stage 5 heads south from the beachside suburb of Glenelg to a likely sprint finish at Victor Harbor 

The 149.1 km stage 5 route includes two intermediate sprints, the first at 33.9 km in McLaren Flat and the second at 56 km in Meadows. Time bonuses of three seconds, two seconds and one second are on offer to the top three across the line.

The day's only KOM comes at 129.1 km on Kerby Hill up Crows Nest Road in Port Elliot. The category 2 climb has an average gradient of 5.9% 

Stage 5 sets out from Glenelg toward the Fleurieu Peninsula, but unlike last year when a similar route was used, the peloton will head to Strathalbyn and then deviate south to a finish in Victor Harbor. This stage could suit a breakaway, with a final climb just before the finish providing a chance to split the peloton.

By way of review, here are the top 10 riders from yesterday's stage, which ended with a bunch sprint in Murray Bridge.

Stage 4 top 10

1 Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto Soudal 3:29:08

2 Sam Bennett (Irl) Deceuninck-QuickStep

2 Jasper Philpsen (Bel) UAE Team Emirates

4 Andre Greipel (Ger) Israel Start-Up Nation

5 Alberto Dainese (Ita) Team Sunweb

6 Martin Laas (Est) Bora-Hansgrohe

7 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) NTT Pro Team

8 Erik Baska (Svk) Bora-Hanasgrohe

9 Marc Sarreau (Fra) Groupama-FDJ

10 Michael Morkov (Den) Deceunink-QuickStep

And here is the current general classification:

General Classification after stage 4

1 Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo 13:39:32

2 Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:03

3 Rob Power (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:08

4 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:11

5 George Bennett (NZl) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:14

6 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:15

7 Simon Geschke (Ger) CCC Team 0:00:15

8 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Team Ineos 0:00:15

9 Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Team Ineos 0:00:15

10 Luke Hamilton (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:25

Well, true to their word, Mitch Docker and Lachlan Morton of EF Pro Cycling did indeed shave their heads to raise money for bushifre relief last night. We've got the story and hilarious photos HERE.

And here's Docker at the start today, looking significantly less hairy than he did during stage 4.

And here's Lachie Morton sporting the new style ... Well done, boys!

...aaaaaaand we're rolling for stage 5

Riders at the start

Astana were ready to go this morning at the sign-in in Glenelg

Today can be a tricky stage, but our expert Mat Hayman says this should be another one for the sprinters, providing they can make it over the final hill heading into Victory Harbor. Crosswinds can also be in play on exposed sections of the course, but they didn't really materialise yesterday as expected.

Axel Domont of AG2R La Mondiale is the first rider to go on the attack, and the 29-year-old Frenchman has a small gap.

Domont is currently 96th overall, more than 10 minutes behind race leader Richie Porte

The Frenchman has 50 seconds on the field, which doesn't seem to concerned. Will anyone try and join him?

After 7km, Domont has 1 minute on the bunch. It's going to be a long lonely day out front for the Frenchman is he doesn't get some help out there.

It looks as though the teams are playing for those early time bonuses again like yesterday, which explains why Domont's gap is now down to 42 seconds and no one else is being allowed up the road. 

In an overall race that will be decided by seconds, the intermediate sprints are crucial. Impey cut his deficit to Porte in half yesterday. Domont's effort off the front here is likely wasted until the bonuses are sorted and the peloton is willing to let a breakaway go.

We're still 15km from the first sprint, and Domont's gap is down to 20 seconds

The peloton is turning away from the coast now and toward the first sprint inland in McLaren Flat at 33.9km. Domont continues to dangle off the front of the bunch now

Well, just as we say that about Domont dangling, the clouds have cleared around the Cyclingnews blimp and we can see has gap has gone up again to 40 seconds.

Domont has been caught just 5km from the first intermediate sprint

Looks like the GC contenders will get their chance to g for some time bonuses in McLaren Flat

Richie Porte's Trek-Segafredo teammate Mads Pedersen did his job again and took the intermediate sprint, denying Daryl Impey the three-second bonus that would have put him tied on time with Porte. But Impey did get second and a two-second bonus and is now just one second behind Porte in the general classification. Rob Power was third and is now 7 seconds behind Porte in the GC.

The next sprint is at 56 km in Meadows, and there will be more time bonuses on offer. Impey could take the virtual race lead there if he gets another second place or better.

With 100 km to go, the bunch is all together being towed along by Mitchelton-Scott

Yesterday's winner Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) will be trying to get another stage win today. 

"It's definitely one of those stages again that could go either way. When we last had this finish – this last part of the race – 'Gerro' won," he said before the start, referring to Simon Gerrans in 2016, and the climb of Kerby Hill on Crow's Nest Road in Port Elliot, which is five kilometres long, with an average gradient of 5.9%, and comes 25km from the end of the day's 149.1km route. "So it's not a typical sprinters' stage today, but we've got nothing to lose, so we'll try to get over the climb."

NTT's Giacomo Nizzolo could be a good bet for today's stage win: he was third here in 2016 when the race last used the same Kerby Hill climb ahead of the finish in Victor Harbor. Ahead of him were the now-retired Simon Gerrans and Ben Swift, with the latter not here this year, either.

Australian road race champion Cameron Meyer also commented before the stage  on trying to help Mitchelton-Scott teammate and defending Tour Down Under champion Daryl Impey take the bonus seconds.

"Everyone on the team's riding fantastically, and we always target this event as a team. We've been in a similar position in the past, and know that it always comes down to a few seconds here or there, so today is an opportunity to pick up some seconds again, just like yesterday."

We're approaching the second sprint full speed ahead, with Mitcheton-Scott taking control

And Impey's done it. He's won the sprint and ridden into the virtual ochre jersey by two seconds over Porte.

Impey put in an amazing effort to beat sprint classification leader Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) and Mads Pedersen. What a rider!

With the time bonuses sorted for the day (except for the finish line, of course, where bonus seconds of 10, 6 and 4 are available to the top three) attacks have started form the bunch to form the day's breakaway.

A 12-rider group tried to go clear, but he peloton reacted quickly and reeled them back.

A new attack has gone with Ian Stannard (Team Ineos), Ben Gastauer (AG2R La Mondiale), Michael Scwarzmann (Bora-Hansgroghe) and – guess who? – none other than Joey Rosskopf (CCC Team), Mr. TDU Breakaway himself and current owner of the mountains jersey

Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) Sam Wellsford (UniSA) and Iljo Keisse (Deceuninck-QuickStep) have bridged to the leaders.

With 75 km to go, the break now has just 12 seconds

The current breakaway is:

Jorge Arcas (Movistar)
Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal)
Sam Wellsford (UniSA)
Iljo Keisse (Deceuninck-QuickStep) 
Ian Stannard (Team Ineos)
Ben Gastauer (AG2R La Mondiale)
Michael Scwarzmann (Bora-Hansgroghe)
Joey Rosskopf (CCC Team)

Mitchelton-Scott did not like the look of that move at all and immediately shut it down. We're all back together now.

Three riders are going clear with one rider trying to bridge.

The chaser has made contact to form a lead group of four. In the new move are Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segagredo), Josef Cerny (CCC Team) , Ian Stannard (Team Ineos) and Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe).

They've got 1:22 with 66km to go.

The gap is going up quickly. The four leaders have 2:15.

Current breakaway:
Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo),
Josef Cerny (CCC Team)
Ian Stannard (Team Ineos)
Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Cerny started the day 1:59 off the overall lead and is now the virtual leader on the road.

Our KOMN sprint is till 36km away. So there's plenty of time for the breakaway to get comfortable. UniSA riders Sam Wellsford and Sam Jenner are trying to bridge.

Meanwhile, the four leaders have 2:06 on the bunch.

Mitchelton-Scott is on the front again powering the chase, and they've whittled that gap down to 1:10 with 48km to go.

Wellsford and enner are still trying to bridge, but the breakway's gap to the peloton is now just 1:07

Richie Porte spoke before the start of the stage today

"It's another day where there's a lot to lose and not much to gain. Yesterday was good because the team were super and we made the most of the day. So we'lls ee how it goes today."

40km remaining.

There are 20km to go to the KOM.The climb will start in 16km. Kerby Hill is a category 2 ascent with an average gradient of 5.9%.

The  gap to the four leaders is 50 seconds, and the two UniSA riders that were stuck in no-man's land wisely abandoned their mission and faded back into the bunch.

Mitchelton-Scott continues to do the damage at the front of the field, with an Astana rider thrown in for good measure.

With 30km to go the gap to the four leaders is 40 seconds

Some of the GC contenders and climbers are coming forward now as the peloton approaches that start of the climb

The climb is 2.9km, and the leaders are 4km from  the KOM

The breakaway could very well get swallowed up on the climb

Mitchelton-Scott os driving the peloton with 22.9km. Top of the KOM is at 20km top go.

The field is on the climb, and Astana has come forward

Ide Schelling has attacked just as the breakaway was about to be caught.

The 21-year-old Dutch rider for Bora-Hansgrohe is solo now

Now Movistar is getting in on the action with a rider accelerating.

Impey is right near the front behind several teammates

Luke Hamilton is setting the pace in the field, and it's really thinning out with 900 metres to the KOM

The pace from Hamilton is splitting the field. Porte is right there near the front, as is Rohan Dennis and George Bennett.

There are about 10 riders in the front group now

Porte accelerates and takes the maximum points on the KOM.

The sprinters have been dropped, but they've got 20km to close the gap

Impey is pushing the pace in the lead group, while Porte is sitting on.

The front group is about 10 riders, and the sprinters are in a second group that is currently not very organised.

The sprinters have organised and are chasing flat out now to catch the leaders.The gap is 23 seconds and there are 11km to go

7.5km to go. It appears things will come back together as they enter Victory Harbor

The catch is almost made

5km to go. French climber Romain Bardet has attacked for reasons only he may understand. He is quickly caught

The peloton has been halved, but most of the top sprinters are in the group

2.8km to go. Viviani, who crashed heavily on stage 2, didn't make the group, but Philipsen, Ewan, Sam Bennett and Giacomo Nizzolo are here

The final kilometres have multiple turns

Richie Porte is right near the front in the ochre jersey

1.5km to go.They're not quite at full speed yet.

Sharp right!!

600 meters to go and Cam Meyer was first through the corner

It's Nizzolo for team NTT!!

That's Nizzolo's first win since stage 1 of the Vuelta a Burgos in August

Impey has taken the overall race lead by one second ver Porte.
Stage 5 top 10:

1 Giacmomo Nizzolo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling 3:32:45

2 Simone Consonni (Ita) Cofidis

2 Sam Bennett (Irl) Deceuninck-QuickStep

4 Michael Morkov (Den) Decenuninck-QuickStep

5 Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE Team Emirates

6 Andre Greipel (Ger) Israel Syart-Up Nation

7 Kristoffer Halvorsen (Now) EF Pro Cycling

8 Caleb ewan (Aus) Lotto Soudal

9 Fabio Felline (Ita) Astana

10 Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott

General Classification after stage 4

1 Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott 17:12:15

2 Richie Porte (Aus) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:02

3 Rob Power (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:09

4 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott  0:00:13

5 George Bennett (NZl) Jumbo-Visma  0:00:14

6 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:17

7 Simon Geschke (Ger) CCC Team 0:00:17

8 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Team Ineos 0:00:17

9 Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Team Ineos  0:00:17

10 Luke Hamilton (NZl) Mitchelton-Scott 0:00:25