Racing to calm riders' nerves at Tour Down Under

RACING looks set to calm the peloton's nerves at the TDU, proving that solidarity is possibly the only way to reclaiming the sport's credibility.

RACING looks set to calm the peloton's nerves with tonight's People's Choice Classic tipped to prove that solidarity is possibly the only way to reclaiming the sport's credibility.

There is no doubting there is a sense of extreme tension among the 133 riders before the Santos Tour Down Under caused by the timing of Lance Armstrong's doping confession.

The WorldTour's cycling festival's prologue will give the peloton a chance to prove they have enough early-season legs to perform admirably at this year's Tour Down Under.

But any rider attempting the six-stage Tour underdone will have nowhere to hide tonight.

Last year's Tour Down Under champion Simon Gerrans is hoping to start his week with a good showing in front of an estimated 100,000 fans.

"For myself personally it will be a good opportunity to do some work for the team," Gerrans said.

UCI road world champion Philippe Gilbert believes his third Tour Down Under - he made his last appearance in SA in 2008 - will give the Belgian opportunities to work out early season strategies with his BMC Racing teammates.

However, Gilbert will more than likely earn more miles in his legs rather than write any race-winning headlines at the prologue.

His team has been working extremely hard over the past week in ensuring nothing is left to chance after the team performance at the 2012 Tour Down Under was perhaps disappointing by BMC Racing's high standards.

Gilbert said he was aiming for at least a top-10 finish this week, which would make life so much easier for BMC Racing given that prime car positions are also  at stake for the European Spring Classics.

But after Swiss 2012 national road champion Martin Kohler led the 2012 Tour Down Under after stage 4 by two seconds, BMC Racing crashed out of overall contention during the Old Willunga stage 5.

When Orica-GREENEdge positioned Simon Gerrans for overall honours when he finished second to Spaniard Alejandro Valverde at Willunga, Kohler's chances of an overall were dashed.

Gerrans claimed overall honours after Lotto-Belisol's German machine Andre Greipel set the 2012 Tour Down Under alight with a super fast prologue.

Greipel is again primed to be at his best during tonight's East End hour of speed after the two-time Tour Down Under champion set a lap record of 1 minute 42 seconds around the 1.7km circuit in the final lap of the all-out attack race.

The German then went on to please hordes of SA fans when he claimed stage one and three before Gerrans handed Orica-GREENEdge a dream WorldTour debut.