Good on ya Gerro, that's awesome

VIDEO: SIMON Gerrans' win was like France celebrating Thomas Voeckler holding the yellow jersey at the Tour de France on Bastille Day.

GRAEME Brown yesterday likened Simon Gerrans' Australia Day stage win to the French celebrating Thomas Voeckler holding the yellow jersey at the 2012 Tour de France on Bastille Day.

But it nearly didn't happen for Australia.

The Australia Day festivities were nearly outgunned by the foreign legion on top of Old Willunga Hill.

"Bloody oath that's great," Brown said Brown after his Blanco team-mate Tim Slagter snatched the ochre jersey from Sky ProCycling's Geraint Thomas after a superb second placing.

"It's like the French winning on Bastille Day (July 14) at the Tour de France. I'm very happy for Gerrans.

"It's a great day for Australia.

"I saw Australia's results in The Advertiser and we were losing 5-0 (stage wins against the rest of the world), we weren't looking good.

"Good on ya, Gerro (Gerrans). That's awesome."

But Australia's five-star cyclists were in danger of leaving this edition of the Santos Tour Down Under with zero stage wins until Gerrans powered up the hill.

While Australian fans were proudly adorning Aussie flags, hats, T-shirts, dresses and face-paint, a foreign cycling fairytale was unfolding as Blanco's Slagter pounded towards the finish line.

Gerrans, however, pipped the Dutchman for first place to claim the TDU's Stage 5 Queen stage.

Now with the notorious McLaren Vale to Old Willunga section over until 2014, Australian cyclists can relax given Gerrans broke the winners drought at this year's TDU.

Gerrans' win has now ensured Australians have claimed stages at all 15 editions of the TDU.

But perhaps the race's evolving genetics have forced Australian riders to rethink who is best suited to the TDU, since the race ditched being labelled a sprinters' paradise.

Since O'Grady's maiden victory in 1999, Australians have now claimed 46 wins out of the 104 possible, which includes the prologue to the TDU.

The Tour Down Under's 2004 overall winner, SA's Patrick Jonker, believes Australians will continue to deliver stage winners at their home race despite the constant tweaking of stages.

But he said Australian riders had had to change tack at the TDU after dominating sprint stages before the UCI awarded the race WorldTour standing in 2008.

"The course has got a little harder over the last few years," Jonker said.

"It's more suited for all-rounders and when you look now at WorldTour points on offer, the Europeans are coming to Adelaide in much better condition than they did during the early Tour Down Under races."

ALL THE AUSTRALIAN STAGE AND PROLOGUE WINNERS SINCE 1999

1999 - Stuart O'Grady (x 2)

2000 - Michael Rogers, Robbie McEwen

2001 - David McKenzie, Luke Roberts, Graeme Brown

2002 - Robbie McEwen (x 2), Cadel Evans

2003 - Graeme Brown, Baden Cooke (x 2), Robbie McEwen

2004 - Baden Cooke, Ben Day, Robbie McEwen (x 2 ), David McPartland

2005 - Robbie McEwen (x 3), Matthew White

2006 - Allan Davis (x 2 ), Russel van Hout, Simon Gerrans, Robbie McEwen

2007 - Robbie McEwen, Baden Cooke, Karl Menzies, Mark Renshaw

2008 - Allan Davis, Mark Renshaw

2009 - Allan Davis (x 3), Graeme Brown

2010 - Chris Sutton

2011 - Cameron Myer, Michael Matthews, Matthew Goss (x 2)

2012 - William Clarke

2013 - Simon Gerrans

Total wins: 46

Most wins: Robbie McEwen - 12