photo credits @ TDU
Ethan Vernon overcame the odds and the searing heat to claim a maiden Tour Down Under stage in Willunga today.
Vernon was superfast in the slight uphill finish at the shortened stage, earning the NSN sprinter the biggest win of his career.
“I really wanted to win out there and start the season strong, and to be the first rider (from the team) to be in this jersey is really special,” Vernon said.
“When I left my home country (Andorra) it was minus 15C so it was a big shock to the weather difference. “In the end, the boys looked after me and kept me cool and showed that in the end they supported me the best. We had to readopt our plan, and we lost Corbin (Strong) and Jake (Stewart) at the start of the stage. In the end, it showed we can communicate and adapt to situations that are chucked at us,” he added.
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), who has been consistently brilliant throughout the stage race, finished second ahead of Laurence Pithie (Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe).
Meanwhile, Jay Vine ended the stage in the Ochre Leader’s jersey, but he lost two teammates during the race.
The reigning Tour Down Under champion, Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Emirates XRG) abandoned the race and was taken to the hospital for observation.
Narvaez was just 13 minutes into the stage race, before the incident.
He was only six seconds behind Vine on the GC before the shortened stage on Saturday before crashing inside the first 20kms.
The team suffered another blow when Vegard Stake Laengen abandoned the race so too did fan favorite Danny Van Poppel (Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe).
The depleted UAE Emirates XRG needed to regroup to sort out new tactics with just five of its seven starting riders in the race.
Especially with third-laced GC hopeful Jayco AlUla’s Swiss Mauro Schmid shaving two seconds off Vine’s 1min 05 sec lead when he earned a time bonus in the second Ziptrak intermediate sprint at Aldinga Beach.
Andrea Raccagni Noviero (Soudal Quick-Step) earned the maximum time bonus at Snapper Point, Aldinga.
The revised start time was 10.10 am, and the stage distance was 131 kilometers.
Without the two Willunga Hill climbs to worry about, the peloton eased into the day’s work, starting at Brighton in 32C. The efex King of the Mountain jersey holder Martin Urianstad Bugge (UnoX Mobility) was the first man to work hard.
The Norwegian attacked the peloton as soon as race director Stuart O’Grady signalled the start of racing.
Urianstad Bugge aimed to secure the KOM jersey with Australia’s Matthew Greenwood leading the charge towards the first points of the day at Chandler’s Hill.
However, Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), Remi Cavagna (Groupama FDJ United), and Greenwood upset the Norwegian’s plans when they led another breakaway.
Cavagni earned maximum KOM points ahead of Plapp and Green with the trio at that early stage of the race 55-seconds in front.
Urianstad Bugge, however, came in fourth and earned two points to take his KOM jersey tally to 43.
Greenwood was first up Chandler’s Hill the second time, followed by Cavagni and Plapp.
Plapp earned the maximum time bonus for the first Ziptrak sprint of the day at Aldinga Beach, followed Cavagni and Greenwood.
Saturday’s THINK! Road Safety Men’s Stage 4 was modified in response to an ‘Extreme’ Fire Danger Rating across the Mount Lofty Ranges and forecast temperatures of up to 43 degrees.
The stage still started in Brighton, but an hour earlier than scheduled, before heading towards Willunga.
The Willunga Hill climb was removed from the route, with the stage finishing on High Street in Willunga town.
Three efex King of the Mountain points were reassigned to Chandlers Hill, with two additional KOM points in Willunga, while the two Ziptrak sprint points remained at Snapper Point.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
