Updates from the Tour Down Under
The 2016 UCI WorldTour cycling season kicked off at the 17th edition of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, South Australia on January 19th.
Check back to follow along for stage-by-stage photos and updates from our Shimano WorldTour teams.
Stage 1: Prospect to Lyndoch - 130.8km
Tuesday, January 19
In front of his home crowd, Caleb Ewan of Team Orica-GreenEdge took home Stage 1 of the Tour Down Under, earning his first leader's jersey in a WorldTour race. Ewan's victory was symbolic as Orica-GreenEdge failed to win a stage at the 2015 edition of the Tour Down Under.
Stage 2: Unley to Stirling - 132k
Wednesday, January 20
Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under found Dennis Rohan and Danilo Wyss of BMC Racing Team escaping a crash to finish in third and fourth place respectively. The success of Dennis and Danilo helped BMC Racing finish Stage 2 first in points, earning the team a second place position in the Team General Classification. Simon Gerrans of Team Orica-GreenEdge finished Stage 2 in third place in the General Classification.
Stage 3: Glenelg to Cambelltown - 139km
Thursday, January 21
Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) built on his Stage 2 performance to earn the top spot on the podium in a photo-finish sprint victory, edging out Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing). The victory marked Simon's fourth stage win at the Tour Down Under and also moved him into first place of the General Classification, with Rohan trailing behind in third overall. Sergio Henao of Team Sky also had a big day, moving up to fifth place of the GC, after a strong strong performance finishing in first on the Corkscrew Road. His success on the famous first climb of the race earned him the King of the Mountain jersey.
Stage 4: Norwood to Victor Harbor - 138km
Friday, January 22
Simon Gerrans (Orica Green-Edge) took his second stage victory at Tour Down Under, earning back-to-back stage wins for the first time in his career. The stage came down to a final sprint where Gerrans was able to pull ahead of Ben Swift of Team Sky and Gicomo Nizzolo of Trek-Segafredo. This marks the first time since 2010 that a racer has won back-to-back stages at Tour Down Under since 2010. After the victory, Gerrans continues to sit in first place in the GC, with Dennis Rohan (BMC Racing) holding his position in third place. Another strong performance on the mountains extended Sergio Henao's (Team Sky) KoM points, moving Henao into fourth place overall.
Stage 5: McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill - 151.km
Saturday, January 23
History was made on Stage 5, also known as the Queen Stage, as Richie Porte (BMC Racing) finished in first for the third year in a row. A strong attack secured a second place standing in the GC for the Australian-born racer. Sergio Henao (Team Sky) finished six seconds behind Porte, holding his third place position in the GC as well as first place in the Mountains classification.
Stage 6: Adelaide to Adelaide - 90km
Sunday, January 24
Caleb Ewan (Orica Green-Edge) was the sixth Australian to claim a stage victory at the 2016 Tour Down Under. The victory was Ewan's second victory of the tour, as he opened the race with a victory on Day 1.
Simon Gerrans wins his fourth overall title at TDU!
On top of Ewan's stage victory, it was a successful day for Orica Green-Edge as the team finished the final stage in first place with Simon Gerrans claiming the overall title at the Tour Down Under. The victory marked Gerrans fourth overall title at the tour!
Simon Gerrans wins the 2016 Tour Down Under!
