Richie Porte and Daryl Impey have been fighting the battle of the two wheelers since Tuesday
Richie Porte and Daryl Impey have had their teams to thank for putting them in the box seat to win the Santos Tour Down Under
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This is it.
It’s the final stage of the Daryl Impey and Richie Porte fight for the Santos Tour Down Under crown.
There are just two seconds separating the pair.
Impey is on the verge of earning a hat-trick of consecutive crowns he is in the better position to win.
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He can extend his lead before the finish with time bonuses at the intermediate sprints before the grand finale.
However, Porte is the king of Willunga Hill claiming the stage six consecutive times.
Porte can also claim his second crown after his 2017 win.
It’s a matter of strategy.
Road cycling is all about tactics, mental and physical strength, timing, natural ability and courage.
It is so much more than a bunch of riders rolling around on the tarmac and waiting for a big finish at the end.
Impey v Porte started at 11am in Tanunda on Tuesday and will end at about 2.30 on Sunday.
Porte’s Trek-Segafredo and Impey’s Mitchelton-Scott have been working hard to ensure one of their men will walk away with the first prize of the 2020 WorldTour.
Last year, no one couldn’t shake Impey.
The South African finished third on equal time to take out the general classification 13 seconds clear of Porte.
In 2018, Porte claimed the stage and Impey finished second – eight seconds behind.
Even though they had equal time, Impey won GC on a countback.
Here’s how Impey and Porte have faced off during each of the five previous stages before the grand finale on Sunday where the race ends at Willunga Hill.
Game on.
Stage 1: Tanunda to Tanunda – 150kms – sprint finish
Impey: 13 in the stage
GC: 3
Porte: 47 in the stage
GC: 49
Impey gets off the mark picking up three bonus seconds in an intermediate sprint. Mitchelton-Scott’s tactics were evident early, they wanted their South African gun to add extra time in a bid to break Porte. Impey is seven seconds behind then race leader Sam Bennett. Porte is 10 seconds adrift.
Verdict: Mitchelton wins this day.
Stage 2: Woodside to Stirling – 135.8km – punchy uphill finish
Impey: 2 in the stage
GC: 3
Porte: 49 in the stage
GC: 41
Impey’s team again had the South African ideally poised at the finish line. He gained a six second bonus when he came second to Caleb Ewan at the Stirling finish. He was just a second off Ewan’s leader’s jersey. Trek-Segafredo protected Porte throughout the day. The Tasmanian was still 10 seconds behind the leader.
Verdict: Mitchelton cracked this day again.
Stage 3: Unley to Paracombe – 131km – hilltop finish
Impey: 6 in the stage
GC: 2
Porte: 1 in the stage
GC: 1
Trek-Segafredo played this stage perfectly for Porte. The Tasmanian’s extended holiday where he got to relax and had some downtime paid dividends. He came back refreshed and conquered the climb with what appeared to be ease. He was breathtaking up a hill which at some points had a 14 per cent gradient.
Verdict: Trek-Segafredo claimed this one.
Stage 4: Unley to Murray Bridge – 152.8km – sprint finish
Impey: 17 in the stage
GC: 2
Porte: 37 in the stage
GC: 1
Impey picks up more intermediate sprint bonuses and edges closer to Porte’s six second lead that he held after the Paracombe climb. Trek-Segafredo also played it smart. They protected Porte, teammate Mads Pedersen summed up what it means to keep the Tasmanian fresh.
“We are here to support Richie 100 per cent,’’ he said.
“This is a race for Richie, so I'm picking up bottles for him.”
The gap was now three seconds.
Verdict: Mitchelton-Scott
Stage 5: Glenelg to Victor Harbor – 149.1km – sprint finish
Impey: 10 in the stage
GC: 1
Porte: 18 in the stage
GC: 2
At about 12.45pm on Saturday Porte had lost the overall lead.
Impey picked a cool five bonus seconds with a second in the first intermediate sprint at McLaren Flat and a first place at Meadows. Trek-Segafredo sensed the danger and put Porte in the breakaway which didn’t last. Porte’s teammate world champion Mads Pedersen made a nuisance of himself to keep Mitchelton-Scott honest. His aggressive work won him accolades and no doubt it will be celebrated if Porte can claim his second GC in SA.
Verdict: Mitchelton-Scott but Pedersen had the desired effect on a big day.
Originally published as Richie Porte and Daryl Impey have been fighting the battle of the two wheelers since Tuesday