Cycling: The sixth and last leg of this year's Tour Down Under also went to Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott). The winner of the points classification was able to win four of the six stages. The other two went to Richie Porte (BMC), who also took the overall victory for the first time.
Sagan only second again
The Tour Down Under in 2017 should also end with a circuit in Adelaide. The 4,5 kilometer lap had to be completed 20 times before the required 90 kilometers were covered. As expected, there was a mass sprint. And who else should win this one if not Caleb Ewan? The little Australian thus secured the fourth stage win at this year's Tour Down Under. Today he relegated Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) and his compatriot Marko Kump (UAE Abu Dhabi) to the places. After a drive of less than two hours, he again had the upper hand over the current world champion.
Porte & Ewan dominated the entire tour
Like us in ours Tour Down Under preview have already suspected, Australian dominance also emerged in 2017. Not only did Caleb Ewan win the People's Choice Classic criterion like last year, but he went on to snag four stage wins at the Tour Down Under. The two remaining parts were then secured by another Australian. Already on the 2nd stage, Richie Porte left no doubt that he is the strongest climber in the field and that overall victory this year can only go through him. Then he won up to Willunga Hill for the 4th time in a row. The Australians thus clinched all six stage wins, which they had already achieved last year. 12 successes in a row are now on the books. The team ranking also went to the local team with UniSA-Australia. After all, the mountain and junior rankings were left to two drivers from abroad. Thomas De Gendt secured the most points uphill by scoring twice in an escape group. Jhonathan Restrepo was tenth in the overall standings and thus awarded the junior title. He also secured a time bonus on the final stage, as did Jay McCarthy, who thus replaced Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) in third place.
Tour Down Under Stage #6: The result of the day
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Caleb ewan | Australia | Orica Scott | 1:55:28 |
| 2. | Peter Sagan | Slovakia | Bora, hansgrohe | st |
| 3. | Marco Kump | Slovakia | UAE Abu Dhabi | st |
| 4. | Danny Van Poppel | Netherlands | Sky | st |
| 5. | Sean De Bie | Belgium | Lotto Soudal | st |
| 6. | Lorenz Manzin | France | FDJ | st |
| 7. | Koen DeKoert | Netherlands | Trek-Segafredo | st |
| 8. | Jasha Sutterlin | Germany | Movistar | st |
| 9. | Nathan Hass | Australia | Dimension Data | st |
| 10 | Jay McCarthy | Australia | Bora, hansgrohe | st |
Caleb Ewan: "It was always going to be hard beating Peter Sagan even if he's not in his best form. He is still the best rider in the world at the moment. I'm just so happy with the performance I've had."
Tour Down Under Stage #6: The overall standings
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Richie porte | Australia | BMC | 19:55:49 |
| 2. | Stephen Chaves | Colombia | Orica Scott | + 0: 48 |
| 3. | Jay McCarthy | Australia | Bora, hansgrohe | + 0: 51 |
| 4. | Natahan Hass | Australia | Dimension Data | st |
| 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 | Jonathan Restrepo | Colombia | Katusha | + 1: 04 |
Richie Porte: "The Tour Down Under was good for me this year with two hilltop finishes, and it's just incredible to come back here and win. BMC sent a team down which was so strong and I really owe it to my team mates.. it's a massive credit to them."