Tour Down Under Stage 2 preview: The first real test of fitness for season jersey winners

ANDRE Greipel looked super fresh when he crossed the finish line without too much aggression to claim a record 17th Tour Down Under stage on Tuesday. But Stage 2’s Stirling finish is definitely not suited to Greipel’s powerful sprint legs.

• Greipel shows who’s king of the TDU stage wins
• All you need to know about TDU 2018
• Rohan Dennis column: Slow and steady until end
• TDU Stage 1 in pictures
• Clarke turns to proven tactic

ANDRE Greipel looked super fresh when he crossed the finish line without too much aggression to claim a record 17th Tour Down Under stage on Tuesday.

The German claimed his first ever stage win at Lyndoch but he will have good company as his Lotto-Soudal will look to protect their gun with just six men in their team.

BMC Racing, however, is sure to have an ace up its sleeve with the Stirling definitely not suited to Greipel’s powerful sprint legs.

KOM

This climb up North East Road is steady but shouldn’t present many problems for the peloton unless some have failed to recover from the 33C during stage 1 Port Adelaide-Lyndoch. With a 6.3 per cent gradient to the KOM near Range Road North, the road is undulating and at this time of year with a predicted 37C hopefully the painful but usual gully winds — a head wind — would have subsided just before midday.

SPRINT

Main Street Oakbank is a popular point for a sprint for precious points in the UCI WorldTour race as riders and teams jostle for high rankings which will be rewarded before the spring classics when team cars are closer to the front of the pack. The peloton should be relatively fresh for the first sprint at the 45.9km mark and the for second one at Mylor — 31.4km up the road before tackling the Stirling loop three times in a grand finish.

FINISH

Stirling is a very popular place to end the race and one which has in the past certainly changed the course of the event after the sprinters had their day in the sun at Lyndoch on Tuesday. The finish line on Mount Barker Road, Stirling is the first real test of fitness in the first race of the year for most of the foreign riders.

BEST VIEWING

It you really want to get up close and personal with the peloton they’ll usually be in a very relaxed mood before the start of the race on the picturesque cobbled King William Road, Unley. The atmosphere is always heartwarming. And Stirling at this time of the year is absolutely gorgeous for a summer retreat with so many vantage points to catch the best road riders on the planet.

THE LEADERS

SANTOS OCHRE LEADER

Germany's Andre Greipel from team Lotto Soudal celebrates after he finished first on day one of the Tour Down Under.AFP PHOTO / BRENTON EDWARDS

1. Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) 3hrs 50mins 11secs

2. Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) +4secs

3. Will Clarke (EF Education First Drapac) same time

4. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) +6secs

5. Nicholas Dlamini (Dimension Data) same time

SUBARU KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

Nicholas Dlamini on the podium after taking the Subaru King of the Mountain jersey. Picture: Sarah Reed

Nicholas Dlamini (Dimension Data)

Dlamini got in the right move of the day when a three-man breakaway went clear shortly after leaving Port Adelaide and he was the first of the trio to get over Humbug Scrub on the way to Lyndoch.

SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM SPRINT

Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal)

Greipel won the stage which was enough to net him 15 points in the sprint classification from Caleb Ewan.

#SEESOUTHAUSTRALIA YOUNG RIDER

Caleb Ewan received the Best Young rider award after Stage One. AAP Image/David Mariuz

Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott)

No surprises here with Ewan, 23, finishing second behind Andre Greipel on Stage 1 at Lyndoch to take the best young rider’s jersey straight up.

SOUTHAUSTRALIA.COM MOST COMPETITIVE RIDER

William Clarke on the podium after Stage One. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Will Clarke (EF Education First Drapac)

Clarke was rewarded for getting in the breakaway, winning two intermediate sprints and almost surviving solo to the finish line by being presented with the most competitive rider jersey on Stage 1.

Originally published as Tour Down Under Stage 2 preview: The first real test of fitness for season jersey winners