Eden Valley fire won't influence team's TDU tactics, says national road champion Simon Gerrans

SIMON Gerrans says Orica-GreenEdge won't be tweaking tactics if the TDU is shortened due to the Eden Valley fire.

AUSTRALIA'S national road champion Simon Gerrans says Orica-GreenEdge won't be tweaking Santos Tour Down Under tactics if the race is shortened due to the Eden Valley fire.

A stage is under threat for the first time in the history of Australia's biggest cycling as a natural disaster threatens to take hold of the Barossa.

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With the Nuriootpa-Angaston on tenterhooks until race director Mike Turtur relays a final decision after consulting SAPOL and CFS authorities Gerrans believes the entire peloton must face the inevitable.

A Tour Down Under technical meeting set down for 5pm on Monday will determine the stage one decision with Turtur declaring the organisation will be sticking by stringent rules set out by UCI.

But regardless of the fate of stage one Gerrans and Orica-GreenEDGE is under pressure to deliver a nostalgic Australian dominance to the 16th edition of the race especially in front of a patriotic home crowd.

"You just move onto the second stage really and everyone is in the same situation,'' Gerrans said.

"There's still plenty of stages to come after stage one."

But Australian versus the rest of the cycling world starts tonight.

The nation's first class guns BMC Racing's Cadel Evans, Simon Gerrans and Sky ProCycling's Richie Porte are hot favourites to lead their teams to podium glory at this stage of the race but that could change by Australia Day - the race's final stage.

But the trio and the entire peloton have a chance to dust off early season cobwebs in the People's Choice Classic in the city streets of Adelaide from 7.15pm.

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The 50km Tour Down Under preview is sure to have an excess of nervous peloton tension given it's the first international race of the year for the best men in cycling.

BMC Racing have stated their goal tonight is to cement team tactics and to ensure Evans is protected.

Evans after finishing second in last weekend's Australian road nationals was extremely relaxed before tackling a ninth edition of the tour.

And with Evans and BMC Racing targeting the Giro D'Italia as the race to be in peak form the 2011 Tour de France champion declared that racing in extreme weather conditions was all part of cycling.

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But he wouldn't say which was more dangerous - racing in icy conditions or performing in inferno-like temperatures which SA produced last week.

"The change in weather I find all so difficult to deal with,'' Evans said.

"I was thinking back to the Giro last May and I was putting on all the clothes we could (due to snow)

"Friday, Wednesday and Thursday (in Adelaide) ... two different extremes but in two weeks I'll be in two degrees (celcius) that's the life of a cyclist."