Cycling: After 2014, 2015 and 2016, Richie Porte (BMC) has now also won the stage up Willunga Hill in 2017. He distanced his closest pursuers by a whopping 20 seconds. The Australian was able to extend his lead in the standings so that overall victory can hardly be taken away from him.
The tireless De Gendt and Bauer
If there were any doubts about Richie Porte's overall victory before this stage, they are now gone. The Australian proved he is easily the strongest climber on the Tour Down Under this season with his fourth win up Willunga Hill. As on the second stage, he didn't give his competitors a chance. After the breakaways, which again included Jack Bauer (Quick-step Floors) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), were caught, the battle for stage victory and the overall standings was all or nothing. Teams Sky, Orica-Scott and BMC were all trying to keep up the pace, so the money for the favorites was getting smaller and smaller. Finally, Richie Porte was isolated from his teammates surprisingly early on. When only seven riders remained, he pushed the pace. After just a few meters, a gap opened up that could not be closed again.
Porte wins at Willunga Hill for the 4th year in a row
Porte was flying towards his stage win and overall victory, while behind him there was a fight for the important seconds for second place. Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) and Sergio Henao (Sky) seemed to be the closest pursuers, but out of nowhere Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) came back up front. He secured second place for the day ahead of Chaves. They placed third and second in the overall standings. Simultaneously, Diego Ulissi (Bahrain-Merida) and Jay McCarthy (Bora-hansgrohe) crossed the finish line, putting them fourth and fifth respectively. The loser of the day was certainly Gorka Izagirre (Movistar). The Spaniard was second before the stage but suffered almost two minutes today. His fall injuries seemed to be troubling him. A mass sprint is to be expected on tomorrow's stage, so there shouldn't be too much change in the overall standings.
Tour Down Under Stage #5: The result of the day
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Richie porte | Australia | BMC | 3:40:13 |
| 2. | Nathan Hass | Australia | Dimension Data | + 0: 20 |
| 3. | Stephen Chaves | Colombia | Orica Scott | st |
| 4. | Diego Ulissi | Italy | Bahrain-Merida | st |
| 5. | Jay McCarthy | Australia | Bora, hansgrohe | st |
| 6. | Nathan Earle | Australia | UniSA Australia | + 0: 23 |
| 7. | Rafael Valls | Spain | Lotto Soudal | st |
| 8. | Sergio Henao | Colombia | Sky | st |
| 9. | Robert Geink | Netherlands | LottoNL Jumbo | st |
| 10 | Tom Jelte Slagter | Netherlands | Cannondale Drapac | st |
Tour Down Under Stage #5: The overall standings
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Richie porte | Australia | BMC | 18:00:21 |
| 2. | Stephen Chaves | Colombia | Orica Scott | + 0: 48 |
| 3. | Natahan Hass | Australia | Dimension Data | + 0: 51 |
| 4. | Jay McCarthy | Australia | Bora, hansgrohe | + 0: 54 |
| 5. | Diego Ulissi | Italy | UAE Abu Dhabi | + 0: 59 |
| 6. | Rohan Dennis | Australia | BMC | + 1: 02 |
| 7. | Rafael Valls | Spain | Lotto Soudal+ st | st |
| 8 | Robert Geink | Netherlands | LottoNL Jumbo | st |
| 9. | wilco kelderman | Netherlands | Sunweb | st |
| 10 | Nathan Earle | Australia | UniSA Australia | + 1: 06 |