Edge of reason: Simon Gerrans and his team plotted TDU triumph for more than six months

SIMON Gerrans and his team had plotted to seize the Santos Tour Down Under more than six months ago.

Orica GreenEDGE owner Gerry Ryan congratulates Simon Gerrans on his overall Ochre jersey win.

ORICA-GREENEDGE sports director Matt White said Simon Gerrans and the Australian team had plotted to seize the Santos Tour Down Under more than six months ago.

Gerrans won the Tour Down Under title on Sunday after claiming the Australian road racing championship earlier this month.

But as soon as Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur revealed the new 2014 course last June, Orica-GreenEDGE and Gerrans rolled out the program to have the seven man team in top shape for the six stage race.

White said Gerrans and the Australian team had also used the same reconnaissance tactics before Gerrans won two stages of the Tour de France last year.

"The last two years he's (Gerrans) been pretty incredible,'' White said.

"He identified Tour de France stages a year out.

"It's one thing to identify it, it's another to pull it off at the world's biggest stage.

"And we've identified this one (Tour Down Under) six months ago.

"When we knew the final course we knew this is a good one for Simon.

"We put our eggs in that basket and it's worked."

News_Rich_Media: Aussie Simon Gerrans has celebrated Australia Day in style, edging out Cadel Evans and Italian Diego U-Lissi to secure a record third Tour Down Under title.

White also believes the 33-year-old is getting better with age and will continue to deliver success.

"Two year's ago the reason why Simon Gerrans won (the Tour Down Under) was because it was Simon Gerrans,'' White said.

"I think this year was very much a team effort and when you've got the guys you got working for him it's pretty much our Tour de France team.

"So we got some guys that could have won stages themselves and Daryl Impey finished sixth on GC and in another team he could have challenged for the win himself."

"These guys are in a very good position for where we need to be.

"So that's how we roll in this team.

"They leave their egos at home and it was all for Simon.

"It was a lot easier when you got a guy who delivers and when he sets his targets he's always around the mark.

Gerrans is now aiming for a hat-trick of wins in Australia before heading to Europe next month.

He is the undisputed favourite to earn a Herald Sun Tour title also for a third time when racing starts next week.

News_Rich_Media: Fox Sports reporter Tom Wilson and Fox Sports cycling expert Kate Bates take a look back at a thrilling final stage in the Tour Down Under.

Gerrans says the classical Victorian stage race which is now 62 years old will give him another crucial launch pad towards claiming race wins in the European spring.

He has added the world road championships and Belgium's April classics on his bucket list.

"There's several races I'd still love to win,'' Gerrans said.

"One of them is the Ardennes classics, it would be a dream, a world title would be a dream come true to win something like that.

"Right from the beginning I was focussing on winning a national title and I was just focussing on winning here and the next focus is winning the Jayco Herald Sun Tour."

Gerrans has made an amazing comeback to cycling after a fractured hip forced him off the saddle in September last year.

Gerrans copped the nasty injury during a crash at the Vuelta a Espana (Spain)'s third stage.