Cadel Evans goes to hill and back to win third stage, take over Tour Down Under leader's role

PRACTICE definitely made perfect for Cadel Evans to record only his second ever stage victory in the Tour Down Under.

Cadel Evans grimaces as he climbs a hill on his way to winning Stage Three, becoming TDU leader.

PRACTICE definitely made perfect for Cadel Evans to record only his second ever stage victory in the Tour Down Under.

The 2011 Tour de France champion's BMW Racing Team has revealed their rider practised descending a hill seven times in a week. It was a reconnaissance mission which earned the cyclist his first Ochre leader's jersey and which he hopes has set him up for a maiden Tour Down Under victory on Sunday.

Evans's hair-raising descent of Corkscrew Hill in the Adelaide Hills helped set up his Stage Three win, securing him the leader's jersey for the time in his nine assaults on the annual Australian race.

"He has done the descent already seven times this week," said BMC Racing's high performance director, Allan Peiper.

News_Image_File: Evans sprints to the line ahead of the chasing pack to the roar of the throng of fans lining the road.

"I don't think there was any problem thinking he wasn't going to be able to do that, just how much of a gap he could hold."

Evans had racked up a 16-second lead after breaking away from his rivals on the climb to eventually finish 15 seconds ahead of fellow Australian Nathan Haas in the 145km stage from Norwood to Campbelltown.

"I had an idea of what we might have an opportunity to do and it's always 'might, if, maybe'," Evans said. "But in this sport when you have an opportunity you have to run with it."

Evans admitted before the start of the six-stage Tour, which concludes with a criterium in Adelaide on Saturday, that he both wanted to win the Tour Down Under for the first time and that he was still smarting from his second-place finish to Simon Gerrans at the recent Australian road championships.

News_Image_File: Evans expresses his delight after becoming TDU leader for the first time in nine attempts at the race.

Today it was Gerrans who had to hand over the leader's jersey to Evans, whose sensational solo breakaway on the stage's big climb came just 10km from the finish.

While Gerrans (Orica GreenEDGE) is second overall and just 13 seconds off Evans, another major rival, Richie.Porte (Team Sky), has fallen to 11th, 33 seconds behind the new leader.

"Cadel obviously is absolutely flying," Porte said. "I tried to go with him, but in the hairpins there he just rode away and there's not much you can do.

"It was a little disappointing, I thought I was in a bit better nick."

The fourth stage to Victor Harbour is expected to suit the sprinters in the field.