SA heat takes its toll on Andy Schleck in Santos Tour Down Under

SANTOS Tour Down Under star Andy Schleck looked angry when 38C temperatures cost the Luxembourger more than 16 minutes yesterday. He finished 124th.

Val Migliaccio

3 min read

January 25, 2013 - 12:00AM

SANTOS Tour Down Under star Andy Schleck looked angry when 38C temperatures cost the Luxembourger more than 16 minutes yesterday. He finished 124th.

But the race might have had an overall leader other than Geraint Thomas if Andre Greipel's Lotto-Belisol team hadn't helped drive the Welshman's Sky Procycling outfit with a lap to go before hitting the Stirling finish.

Sky's Chris Sutton said the working partnership with Lotto-Belisol was key to keeping Thomas in the ochre jersey.

"We always ask teams to help during the race and they'll either say yes or no," Sutton said.

"In this case Lotto-Belisol said they'd help us with a lap to go, but with Lotto's Marcel Sieberg coming up with a little bit before a lap to go it was really good from him and a couple of others that came with him as well.

"But to be honest, I couldn't tell you who else rolled over because I was a little bit of a space cadet because of the heat."

While Sutton was content with another perfect Sky ride, Schleck, the 2010 Tour de France champion, was seemingly cooking in 38C while his RadioShack-Leopard team-mate Tiago Machado tried to force the peloton to crack 5km from Stirling.

Schleck refused interview requests after Machado's brave attack, which was pulled back 3km from the end of the gruelling stage.

But Portuguese Machado - who finished third overall at the TDU last year - said the race was far from over after Blanco's Tom Slagter caused an upset by claiming the 139km stage.

"A couple of guys got me to the front of the race," Machado said.

"We were working the tactics but I came through it was a good final lap and I feel in good condition.

"It was a really hard race and when I saw that last climb I wanted to try to take off but bad luck caused the rest of the peloton to catch up.

"I wanted to attack the race and in the end I wasn't that happy."

Machado believes tomorrow's Stage 5 is where he can make up lost ground.

The 27-year-old is confident of conquering the Old Willunga Hill twice in an effort to wrest overall honours before the Stage 6 final in Adelaide on Sunday.

"Willunga ... I will try to win the stage and I'll wait for that day," he said.

"We have a strong team here we are leaders and the race is not finished yet.

"We'll have a good base and we'll try from the start but when need a bit of luck and more racing to win the Down Under."

Machado said he was completely spent when the bunch caught him before the Stirling finish line.

He was at risk of losing valuable time which would have ended his hopes of claiming overall honours or at least to better last years third in the general classification.

"Until the body feels like a normal person (I won't give up)," he said.

"After that we are cyclists."

While Machado was looking forward to facing Willunga tomorrow Sutton believes the team will not allow any other team or rider to come near the ochre jersey.

STAGE 3 RESULTS

1. Tom Jelte Slagter (NED/BLA) 3hr 36min 46 sec

2. Matthew Goss (AUS/OGE) s.t.

3. Philippe Gilbert (BEL/BMC) s.t.

4. Geraint Thomas (GBR/SKY) s.t.

5. Giovanni Visconti (ITA/MOV) s.t.

6. Javier Moreno (ESP/MOV) s.t.

7. Simone Ponzi (ITA/AST) s.t.

8. Daniele Pietropolli (ITA/LAM) s.t.

9. Ivan Santaromita (ITA/BMC) s.t.

10. Gorka Izagirre (ESP/EUS) s.t.

Selected