Tour Down Under: Australia's Simon Gerrans wins in Adelaide
Australia's
Simon Gerrans beat Cadel Evans by one second to win a record third Tour Down
Under in Adelaide.
Gerrans, who took the race lead on the penultimate stage, finished alongside
compatriot Evans after a bunch sprint on the final stage to wrap up victory.
He said: "This is an Australian team, on Australia Day, in a World Tour
event. What else could I ask for?"
Germany's Andre Greipel won the sixth stage while Britain's Geraint Thomas
was eighth in the overall standings.
Thomas, who
finished
third last year, told BBC Sport before this year's race that he would be
trying to help his
Australian Team Sky team-mate Richie Porte to victory.
Porte won Saturday's fifth stage to climb to fourth overall - a position he
maintained in Sunday's final race by finishing in the main bunch.
Orica Greenedge rider Gerrans, who won the race in 2006 and 2012, also
crossed the line in the peloton.
He had won the first stage of the race but lost the lead to Evans on stage
three before regaining the leaders' ochre jersey on stage five.
"It's been a hard race for me and my team-mates," continued Gerrans.
"I was confident in my team-mates to take me home safely, which they did.
Until I crossed the line, I suspected that Diego Ulissi would try and do
something, but it went all right."
Italy's Ulissi finished third overall, five seconds adrift.
Greipel won the sprint on the final stage, edging out Australia's Mark
Renshaw, with his British Omega Pharma - QuickStep team-mate Andrew Fenn third.
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