cycling: Tour Down Under Stage #6: Greipel Oldie but Goldie - Impey easy in ocher

Cycling: André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) won the last leg of the Tour Down Under. In the mass sprint, the German was able to prevail in front of Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) and Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe). Greipel is already celebrating victory #18 at the Tour Down Under. World champion Peter Sagan can look forward to winning the green jersey. The South African Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) couldn't be denied the overall victory of the Tour Down Under.

Tour Down Under ends with 20 laps of 4,5 km

Today we were presented with the final act of the 2018 Tour Down Under. In Adelaide, the riders had to cover 90 kilometers, all on a 4,5-kilometer circuit. Before the 20 laps began, several riders answered questions from the Australian television channel 9Now. Among those who spoke were André Greipel (Lotto Soudal), Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott), Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe), and of course, the leader, Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott). He revealed that he never expected to start this final stage in ochre. In a bunch sprint, despite his narrow lead over Richie Porte (BMC), Daryl Impey would work for his teammate Caleb Ewan and not sprint for seconds himself. Although he admitted: "It ain't over till it's over." World champion Peter Sagan, who wanted to win the stage and the green jersey in addition to the stage victory, expressed similar confidence: "It's important for me to win this stage. Of course, I also want to take the sprint jersey home."

As always, @mcewenrobbie was at the start line for Be Safe Be Seen @MACofSA Stage 6 to chat to the main players, including race leader @darylimpey , record stage winner @AndreGreipel , Green Jersey holder @petosagan , and Aussie favorite @CalebEwan . #TDU pic.twitter.com/6Tkf24cN6p

— Santos Tour Down Under 🐨🚴 (@tourdownunder) January 21, 2018

Greipel uses all his experience

The final stage unfolded quickly. Several riders launched attacks, but Ben O'Connor (Dimension Data) and Logan Owen (EF Education) managed to break away. The sprint and mountain classifications lacked excitement, as there were always enough riders at the front, and the mountains classification had already been decided – in favor of Nicholas Lamini (Dimension Data). Numerous teams were aiming for a bunch sprint, allowing the last breakaway rider to be caught early. Sunweb, with Phil Bauhaus , and Quick-Step Floors, with Elia Viviani, worked hard to maintain order in the final kilometer. Ultimately, however, the pace was set by others. Caleb Ewan made his move too early, and André Greipel, with all his experience, perfectly exploited the slipstream. The 35-year-old won the final stage of the Tour Down Under, adding to his victory in stage 1. Peter Sagan secured the green jersey with a third-place finish, while Phil Bauhaus finished fourth.

🇩🇪 IT'S GREIPEL ON THE LINE 🇩🇪 @CalebEwan is pipped at the post by the great @AndreGreipel , who now has 18 stage wins at the #TDU !!! What a finish to Be Safe Be Seen @MACofSA Stage 6!! pic.twitter.com/P2O3BHThww

— Santos Tour Down Under 🐨🚴 (@tourdownunder) January 21, 2018

Result of the 6st stage of the Tour Down Under 2018

Overall standings after stage 6 of the 2018 Tour Down Under

It was this close 🏁 👀 #TDU pic.twitter.com/PRkMaUkm3J

— Santos Tour Down Under 🐨🚴 (@tourdownunder) January 21, 2018