Australian Caleb Ewan outsprints his rivals to snare Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under in Stirling

Australian Caleb Ewan held out South African Daryl Impey in a sprint to the finish to claim Stage 2 Tour Down Under honours in Stirling on Wednesday afternoon.

STIRLING, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 22: Arrival / Caleb Ewan of Australia and Team Lotto-Soudal / Celebration / during the 22nd Santos Tour Down Under 2020, Stage 2 a 135,5km stage from Woodside to Stirling 422m / TDU / @tourdownunder / #UCIWT / on January 22, 2020 in Stirling, Australia. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

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Australian pocket rocket Caleb Ewan has scored a close Stage 2 win at the Tour Down Under on Wednesday, in a race that was marred by a number of crashes.

Ewan, 25, who won a fourth TDU Classic on Sunday, carried the form into the second competitive leg of the 2020 event, which took riders on a 135.8km journey – comprising four laps of a circuit starting in Woodside and ending in Stirling.

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Caleb Ewan sprints to the line in Stage 2. Picture: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

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The Lotto-Soudal rider held out South African rival and two-time defending champion Daryl Impey and fellow Aussie Nathan Haas on the line, finishing in a time of 3 hrs, 27 minutes and 31 seconds.

Speaking after the race, Impey – who is vying for a record third-straight TDU title – said it wasn’t too bad losing out to arguably “the best sprinter in the world”.

“I’ve lost to him before as a teammate, and now as a rival,” Impey said.

“You’re always up against it (with Ewan), but to beat the other guys in the field I’m pretty happy with that.”

Meanwhile, Impey said his Mitchelton-Scott teammate Simon Yates was left “pretty banged up” by an earlier race crash, which would put the remainder of his campaign in doubt.

“I haven’t heard anything yet, but ... it’s a pretty big loss for the team,” he said.

“I don’t think he’s going to be involved in the race anymore.”

Originally published as Australian Caleb Ewan outsprints his rivals to snare Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under in Stirling