A nice little 135km growler of a day is set to start the 2013 World Tour off with a proper bang at the season-opening Tour Down Under. Join The Roar from 11:30am for live updates.
The Aussies will be champing at the bit for this one. The Europeans and Americans – many, in any case – will be a little less keen to suffer in the expected 30 degree heat over the lumpy route from Prospect to Lobethal.
The riders will head out past the Adelaide velodrome then straight to the hills of Golden Grove. No rest for the wicked around here, I’m afraid.
At first glance the hills that come early on don’t look much on the profile map, but at an average of somewhere in the region of 5% for more than 10km, they are hard enough to test the legs of the peloton, that’s for sure.
Those who’ve had their Weetbix will be looking to sneak off the front here to try to snatch the first and only King of the Mountains points of the day on offer, at the top of Checker Hill.
Might we see Andy Schleck and Philippe Gilbert have a blast? Hopefully, as it’ll be a shame for them to have come all this way just to sit in the pack!
Be great for the crowds too, though the Belgian rider from BMC Racing, who has his first outing in his rainbow jersey on the World Tour in 2013 today, is said to be in condition to go for a high spot on the overall, so he may want to keep his powder dry.
Then it’s onwards and indeed upwards most of the time towards Lobethal, which the riders will pass through twice before the final sprint for the line.
The three sprint points on offer come as the riders pass through Charleston, and again it’s possible someone from an early break will take those. The hills though won’t really stretch the peloton and we should expect to see it all come together, with Lotto-Belisol in particular chasing down any break hard.
The fans gathered in Lobethal should see a group sprint finish, with the usual suspects at the front. Watch out in particular for Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano), Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) and the in-form Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) here, as these sprinters like a tough finale.
Hang on to your hats folks, here we go!
Lee Rodgers is editor of The Roar's cycling section and a professional cyclist with the UCI Continental CCN Cycling Team.
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The Crowd Says (111) | Page 1 of Comments
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4:58pm
Adam Semple said | 4:58pm | Report comment
Excellent feed!
3:21pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:21pm | Report comment
Greipel takes the race lead, Demare 2nd, Renshaw 3rd, Simon Gerrans 4th. Keep watching here for more updates, and thanks for joining us for the live blog of the first stage of the 2013 Tour Down Under!
3:30pm
Aaron said | 3:30pm | Report comment
Greipel shows everyone who’s boss by winning Stage 1. Can greipel hang on on corkscrew road in tomorrow’s Stage 2?
3:20pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:20pm | Report comment
Second is Andre Demare of FDJ, Renshaw 3rd of Blanco.
3:19pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:19pm | Report comment
The big German had about 8 bike lengths within seconds, then sat up and still won by 5. Textbook finish there from Lotto-Belisol. All gather now to congratulate Andre Greipel. Job done.
3:18pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:18pm | Report comment
And it’s GREIPEL! He smashed it, absolutely smashed it. Very, very impressive.
3:17pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:17pm | Report comment
Here we go, very close now. Henderson hits the friont.
3:17pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:17pm | Report comment
Lotto reassert though. Four riders now for Lotto there, Greipel will be last in that line.
3:16pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:16pm | Report comment
Sky back on the front though, they are riding very hard now.
3:15pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:15pm | Report comment
A perfect line for Lotto here, they certainly won’t be able to blame the lead out if they lose this one, it’s textbook.
3:15pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:15pm | Report comment
Lotto now hit the front.
3:14pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:14pm | Report comment
Sky now massing, they have 4 riders at the front.
3:14pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:14pm | Report comment
Here comes Lotto… Boasson Hagan in 3rd.
3:13pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:13pm | Report comment
Greipel and Goss seem to be having no trouble. It’s Sky back on the front, but they’;re a little split up. Lotto-Belisol however are still all lined up.
3:12pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:12pm | Report comment
My man for today, Marcel Kittel, is at the back!
3:11pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:11pm | Report comment
An Ag2r guy sneaks off the front, Biel Kadri. He’s trying to stretch the pack but in truth he’s going nowhere. The pack smells blood!
3:10pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:10pm | Report comment
Ah, Renshaw and Goss just behind Greipel.
3:09pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:09pm | Report comment
Orica-GreenEDGE nowhere to be seen yet…
3:09pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:09pm | Report comment
Lotto look much more prepared here than Movistar, who have just 2 guys at the front. Lotto have all their guys lining up in line. 7km to go.
3:08pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:08pm | Report comment
On the right of the pack, here comes Greipel’s train. They look muscular, fresh.
3:07pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:07pm | Report comment
8km to go. Lotto are now sitting back a little, conserving energy. A very experienced lead out train, they know it’s too early to go. Movistar back on the front, but still no one team taking charge.
3:05pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:05pm | Report comment
Team Sky on the front now too. Their man is Boasson Hagan, who has one heck of a sprint for an all-rounder. This finicky finale could be good for him. Inside 10km to go.
3:03pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:03pm | Report comment
Movistar at the front now. Astana are around too, for Guardini, the Italian who cleaned up at the Tour de Langkawi in the past 2 seasons. He is always in good form early in the season.
3:02pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:02pm | Report comment
A lot of guys who will have been at the back all day are now suddenly moving up. Guys will be emptying pockets, emptying bottles. This is a messy finish here, one team needs to re-establish authority.
3:00pm
Lee Rodgers said | 3:00pm | Report comment
Bit messy at the front now, Argos are on the left, Movistar on the right with a few others in the middle. The break was caught a little too early for the sprinters’ liking I think.
2:59pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:59pm | Report comment
The finish sees a downhill run with a left hander with 300m to go. Who was saying it’s a safe finish?
2:58pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:58pm | Report comment
15km to go folks. Go to the loo now if you must, and be quick!
2:58pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:58pm | Report comment
Pineau didn’t know what hit him, Gilbert flashed past him for the 3 second bonus. Brilliant timing. He’s sat up now, and the whole race is back together for the first time since the day’s racing began.
2:56pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:56pm | Report comment
With Pineau just off the front Gilbert sensed the lull in the pack and took off. He’s looking maybe for the sprint bonus here, but will keep rolling if he gets a decent gap.
2:55pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:55pm | Report comment
20km to go now. The camera moves out above the road and we can see that the peloton has Pineau in their sights. Gilbert takes off!!!!
2:54pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:54pm | Report comment
I’m not a sprinter myself, though at times I’ve been asked to lead people out. Terrifying! It takes real nerves of steel just to hold position. For every crash you see there must be another 30 near-crashes. The handling skills of these guys is just amazing. We should get a sight of those skills very, very soon. Greg Henderson will be leading out Greipel, keep an eye on him for sure.
2:51pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:51pm | Report comment
Pineau’s no mug, that’s for sure, and the pack knows that. They’re making absolutely sure his lead does not grow beyond a minute. Still on the front is Lotto-Belisol with the Argos-Shimano guys popping up too.
2:49pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:49pm | Report comment
Team Sky’s Bernard Eisel keeps popping up, so odd to see him without his old teammate Mark Cavendish on his wheel. Cav of course went to Omega Pharma-Quickstep. Bernie looks a little lonely out there without the Rocket.
2:47pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:47pm | Report comment
The pack’s gone through the feed zone again, 1.10 now for Pineau. That’ll be coming down very soon. Robbie McEwen is on live now, he;s a very insightful commentator actually. Smart, articulate and knows his stuff obviously. He reckons the smaller sprinters could try to tire Greipel out on these little hills. On the evidence of the race the other day in the Classic, they’ll have to do something…
2:59pm
WilburP said | 2:59pm | Report comment
Agree re McEwen Lee, enjoyed his perspective on Sunday during the Classic. Thanks for the great job you are doing with the blog, won’t need to stay up tonight to watch the replay now, so no excuse for not going for a peddle before work tomorrow!
5:39pm
Lee Rodgers said | 5:39pm | Report comment
ah thanks Wilbur! sorry, missed that when i was typing away there!
2:44pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:44pm | Report comment
If you’ve never raced and wonder what a crash feels like, imagine hopping off a scooter at 55km/hr wearing not much more than a speedo, and you’ll get close! It’s really not very much fun…
2:43pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:43pm | Report comment
Thankfully the finish looks quite safe so hopefully we’ll have an incident-free finish. This is the first big race of the season and quite often the peloton is nervous, and we should have a lot of guys going for this one as they all know how important the finish tally was last year when Gerrans beat Valverde.
2:37pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:37pm | Report comment
100km and a bit done, 31km to go to the finish. The pack will be hitting mid-40s now, and confident that they can bring back Pineau in the last 15km. He now has over a minute, about 1.20, so with that calculation that the pack makes up 10 seconds a kilometer, they can leave it til 12km to go before they really crack on.
2:33pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:33pm | Report comment
Over a minute now for Pineau….
2:31pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:31pm | Report comment
Pineau’s won a stage at the Giro and held the KOM in the Tour de France for a few days. He’s a combative rider, as he’s showing here. Can he hang on til the end? Are Eskimos from Brazil? That’d have to be a…. no. There’s no way, barring a massive crash, that the big boys will let this one slip from their grasp.
2:29pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:29pm | Report comment
Spelling mistake, it’s Pineau, not Pinot.
2:27pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:27pm | Report comment
30 seconds now to the peloton. Pinot is now alone as the courageous Kerby slows up. He’ll get a moment’s rest before the pack speeds by and he’ll have to fight a little to get onto the tail end.
2:26pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:26pm | Report comment
It was one rider, and he;s caught Kerby. It’s Jerome Pinot of Omega Pharma-Quickstep. Kerby hanging on to the much fresher Pinot.
2:25pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:25pm | Report comment
Close-up on Kerby shows a grimace as he climbs a hill, then the camera pulls back – two riders seem to be very close there, with the peloton not too far back. Time checks are a little hard to come by, apologies.
2:23pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:23pm | Report comment
Gerrans was also keen but couldn’t replicate his speed from the first spring. Gilbert was also having a sniff.
2:20pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:20pm | Report comment
all the favorites went for the sprint there, Thomas de Gent took 2nd ahead of Movistar’s Rojas
2:18pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:18pm | Report comment
Gilbert sitting quite high up in the pack as the 2nd sprint point comes along, Kerby takes first in that, he now has a 6 second bonus
2:14pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:14pm | Report comment
back to the race, same as before at the head of the race, Kerby dangles, Argos and Lotto keep he pace at tempo
2:13pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:13pm | Report comment
Liggett is talking about koalas. he just said ‘they make a heck of a lot of nice when they’re mating, i can tell you that….’ how does he know? disturbing…
2:11pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:11pm | Report comment
settled in 1842 by Prussian settlers, the town…. what do you mean, you’re not interested? i’m wasted here….
2:10pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:10pm | Report comment
in German ‘Lobethal’ means ‘Valley of Praise’ – which is fitting, as Kerby soaks up the crowd’s applause. the town is famed for its Christmas light displays, which draw visitors from around the state in December. ah, good ol’ Wikipedia..!
2:07pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:07pm | Report comment
tough last 50km coming up. Lotto on the front now. Argos lining up behind, ready for the gallop. it;s hard to underestimate how important positioning is in a race like this. once you establish a position near the front you want to keep it, and as the finale nears, with about 20 to 15km to go, the interlopers start appearing on your shoulder trying to muscle in out of the wind. positioning is 80% of a sprint, really, which is why the top teams ride in together in those lines
2:03pm
Lee Rodgers said | 2:03pm | Report comment
Argos on the front, keeping the pace up. Kerby is coming through the finish line for the first time, lots of people along the road, that’ll gee him up a little. 50km to go!
1:57pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:57pm | Report comment
up at 80km, 55 to go. might be a little slower today than anticipated, as they won;t be catching Kerby too soon – his lead is back up to 2:30….
1:54pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:54pm | Report comment
Shane Warne’s just appeared on an advert for a casino – good job he’s good at cricket, can;t see him making much as an actor…
1:52pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:52pm | Report comment
Kerby had just about 1:30 over the pack at the first sprint, but the peloton has stepped off the gas once again, happy to let the youngster sit up front a little more. if they catch him now it’ll be like opening Pandora’s Box – the chancers will start attacking and the sprinters’ teams will suddenly have to reassert their authority, which could take several kilometers.
1:50pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:50pm | Report comment
over on Sky Sports we have Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin jabbering away. is it just me, or does anyone else wish there were some new voices around?
1:48pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:48pm | Report comment
they’ve just showed the Young Rider;s Jersey! Ouch! green, purple, yellow all wrapped up in a very modern 1987-type design. that’s more of a punishment than an award….
1:47pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:47pm | Report comment
Gerrans had a great season last year of course. Odd to say he came of age in 2012, as he’s won at the Giro d’Italia and the TdFrance in previous seasons, but that win at Milan-San Remo signaled to the world just how good he can be. 32 now, he is in his prime as a rider, and brimming with confidence, as we can see
1:44pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:44pm | Report comment
watching the replay of the pack sprint for the points, wow Gerrans looked good there. a warning shot fired to his rivals there, for sure. he means business.
1:42pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:42pm | Report comment
it would be great to see Kirby come in with the pack, as with the 3 seconds lead he picked up at the sprint point might mean he takes the leader’s jersey
1:41pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:41pm | Report comment
Gerrans of course finished on the same time as Valverde last year, but won by virtue of better finishes, so he knows the importance of seconds
1:36pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:36pm | Report comment
here comes the bunch though, catching Jens. Simon Gerrans takes 2nd on the sprint! and picks up 2 seconds on the GC there… looks like Kerby will be caught quite soon, the pack was pretty close behind. perhaps they’ll let the l;ead banjo out again
1:34pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:34pm | Report comment
Kerby takes the first sprint point at 67 km, so that’s 66km alone to now, he doesn;t look ragged but for sure he will be tiring a little here. the next sprint point is aboiut 25km away, so if he can hang on til there he will have 2 jerseys tomorrow
1:33pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:33pm | Report comment
wow that ground looks dry… Jens Voigt of Radioshack is off the front, on the chase
1:30pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:30pm | Report comment
Kerby’s lead is deteriorating
1:29pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:29pm | Report comment
sitting on the front all day to keep the leader’s gap down, only to get shelled out in the last 5km as the speed rockets might seem an unenviable job but, first off that;s the Pro Life!
other than that though, it is a surprisingly rewarding feeling sometimes, to give 100% for someone else – especially if they win. cycling is a team sport – at this level anyway – but it’s seldom that a guy gives 100% for someone else. it;’s nice too sometimes to not have to worry about tactics, to just go blast it…
1:25pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:25pm | Report comment
any takers on a winner today? i’m going for Kittel…
1:24pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:24pm | Report comment
interesting team Argos, a team very much on the rise. it could be said they represent the new generation, they did their first Tour de France in 2009, got another entry in 2012 and were very impressive all last year. In Kittel they have a rider who can become a real star too. he was linked to a blood transfusion program but no charges were ever brought, yet on Armstrong his stance is clear – here’s that he said:
“I feel SICK when I read that Contador, Sanchez & Indurain still support Armstrong. How does someone want to be credible by saying that?!”
“I mean, it makes it all worse. They should play their false game somewhere else. Or do they ride for money instead of joy?!”
1:19pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:19pm | Report comment
a littletouch of irony here, Will Clarke (now Argos-Shimano) is up there riding on the head of the bunch! this time last year he was in a Uni SA kity anddoing the same as Kerby is now…
1:16pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:16pm | Report comment
Argos-Shimano on the front of the peloton now, they’ll just slowly begin to reel in time on Kerby, who sits just over 4 minutes up now
1:14pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:14pm | Report comment
results for the KOM: Kerby, Bobridge, followed by Huguet of Argos-Shimano, and then Graeme Brown (Blanco)
1:08pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:08pm | Report comment
Bobridge didn;t have the most stellar 2012 but there’s no doubting his massive talent. good to see him feeling frisky today, it;ll feel great to get the legs stretched and back in the World Tour
1:06pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:06pm | Report comment
Team Blanco was of course Rabobank, the Dutch team that was so badly hit by various doping allegations. “A new team, a fresh start, a blank canvas. The Blanco Pro Cycling Team riders and staff are determined to create an upbeat and transparent future,” says their website and we wish them all the best with their 2013 season….
1:02pm
Lee Rodgers said | 1:02pm | Report comment
Bobridger knows it’s too far to go but he’ll be trying to shake things up in the peloton, try to get the speed up. perhaps he wants to ensure that Kerby doesn;t take all the sprint points today, because if he does he will have a very handy lead in that competition
12:58pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:58pm | Report comment
action from the pack! Jack Bobridge attackes! the Blanco rider must have been getting bored
12:57pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:57pm | Report comment
that’ll be a great feeling for the youngster, and you can only imagine the reaction from his mum, surely she’ll be watching and cheering like nuts! still though, he may be young but he’s not exactly inexperienced and he’ll be re-focusing on his pedaling, keeping his upper body still and legs smooth, conserving energy and taking on water and food.
12:54pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:54pm | Report comment
and Kerby hits the line, boom!
12:50pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:50pm | Report comment
behind it’;s still Lotto-Belisol and Argos-Shimano at the head of affairs
12:46pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:46pm | Report comment
just a few km now from the KOM point, the jersey will be Kerby’s – nice work!
12:41pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:41pm | Report comment
Kerby’s l;ead coming down a little – if he gets to that first sprint point at 68km in Charleston, he may well capture two jerseys today
12:31pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:31pm | Report comment
here we go, Argos-Shimano (Kittel is their man for today) and Lotto-Belisol (Greipel) sit up front of the peloton. they’ll be keeping an eye on Kerby’s lead
12:28pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:28pm | Report comment
never ceases to amaze me to see the Australian riders performing so well at this time of year, and in the middle of the year too, which by rights should be their off season. guys like Adam Phelan, Kerby and others, they race domestically in the Australian summer, then internationally too for the rest of the year. we, the softy euros, still have a couple of months off in our winter!
12:24pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:24pm | Report comment
there were an estimated 16,000 people at the start today in Prospect – can only expect more at the finish. it’s really wonderful to see how well supported this race is – especially at this time, with all that business with you-know-who….
12:21pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:21pm | Report comment
bit of a natural is this lad. he started riding aged 11, which is 2003, and by the end of 2006, his first really competitive year, he’d won 12 races! and across the spectrum, track, time trial and road. he’ll be headed to the Christina Watches-Onfone team after the Tour
1:52pm
Aaron said | 1:52pm | Report comment
isnt that the team of dopes mike rasmussen and stefan schumacher?
12:18pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:18pm | Report comment
7 minutes now for the U23 Australian champ. thew youngster from Brisbane is looking good
12:16pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:16pm | Report comment
Kerby will be getting plenty of advice from his manager now. the specific goal will be those KOM points, because that jersey is defendable. whoever gets the points on the first day has a real advantage – same with the sprints jersey – because there will be very few riders targeting it
12:14pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:14pm | Report comment
young people these days, I don;t know, they don;t have any respect for their elders. off they go, attacking the elders….
12:13pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:13pm | Report comment
Kerby was born in 1992. does that make you feel old? it does me…
12:09pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:09pm | Report comment
hi Bones, and there is practically nowhere to see it outside Aus either, online. a real shame
12:08pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:08pm | Report comment
so looks like Kerby will be the KOM for tomorrow’s stage
12:08pm
Bones506 said | 12:08pm | Report comment
Lee,
Appreciate the live updates as Channel 9 have really stitched cycling fans up by being a ‘partner’ of the TDU but only showing highlights at 11pm. What a joke.
Why not keep it with SBS and allow them to showcase the sport.
Great effort by Kerbybut he will not stay away.
12:08pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:08pm | Report comment
Kerby should now be thinking about Will Clarke, the UniSA rider who last year shocked even himself by winning Stage 2 at the Tdu, with a brilliant ride that took the peloton by surprise. just goes to show you should never underestimate anyone
12:06pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:06pm | Report comment
Kerby at 5 minutes! go on son! who doesn’t love an underdog…!
12:06pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:06pm | Report comment
then in the last ten km or so they really up the pace to reel in the break. they have to be careful though to time it right – if they catch the break too soon this will encourage others to attack, so they try to let the escapee dangle along til they strike. generally, it’s estimated that the peloton moves about 10 seconds per kilometer faster than a tiring break over the last kms, so, a one minute lead going into the final 10km isn;t enough, unless there is a huge tail wind. 1:30 though, and things get very interesting!
12:03pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:03pm | Report comment
the policy in the peloton at times like this is interesting. the stronger teams will hit the front and ride a decent tempo that allows the guy or guys out front to maintain a specific lead but not exceed it. usually those teams will be the sprinters’ teams, or, later, the leader’s team
12:00pm
Lee Rodgers said | 12:00pm | Report comment
sometimes it takes you by surprise, getting out alone at the front. you take off from the pack expecting others to come with you but sometimes – gulp – you’re alone. the mind starts ticking, asking questions – ‘keep going?’ ‘slow down?’ ‘push hard for the KOM or steady for the chance of glory?’ etc
11:59am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:59am | Report comment
oh, this might be one of those days – Kerby’s lead is now almost 3 minutes. the oack could well be content to leave him out there all day then reel him in as the finale nears.
11:57am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:57am | Report comment
this kid can ride a bike, if you didn’t know already, as he’s U23 Australian Road champ. Be warned, peloton!
11:56am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:56am | Report comment
ok the action – so far we have a young Aussie striking out front, and his name is Jordan Kerby of UniSA, with a lead that is hovering close to a minute
11:46am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:46am | Report comment
having a quick look at the betting here on the GC (General Classification) hopes – Mr Simon Gerrans is up front with the bookies, followed by Edvald Boasson Hagan (Sky) and then the world champ Philippe Gilbert (BMC). Personally I can;t see Gilbert being in top form right now, as he will be waiting for the Spring Classics. But Edvald has chance here, he’s shown be4 that he can get on form early on (both in Oman and Qatar in the past), and the route suits him
11:56am
Psych_ling said | 11:56am | Report comment
Disagree re Gilbert, he will be chaffing at the bit after his WC win
11:39am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:39am | Report comment
the first KOM point is up at the 41km stage, and it is the only on one the stage today. there’ll be a good few guys looking to get those points, as the jersey is not only prestigious, it also guarantees good exposure for the sposnors and keeps the bosses happy.
11:33am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:33am | Report comment
and they’re off!!!!
11:33am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:33am | Report comment
the course though looks better for an all-rounder this year, and after his cracking win last year he is deffo a favorite this year
11:31am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:31am | Report comment
Greipel is looking mean and lean, isn;t he? he doesn;’t smile much but he is actually quite a nice guy apparently. and of course he looks massive in comparison to most of the other pros. there is, after all, a reason why he is called The Gorilla…
11:30am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:30am | Report comment
it’s never easy to start on a hill, no matter where in the season it is, but certainly at this early stage in the year (for the non-Aussies anyway), the first ten km or so will be bringing the burn in those legs. we should see a group get away here, and expect the local lads to put on a good show
11:27am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:27am | Report comment
4 minutes to go, riders on the line, the majority are old hands at the nerves but they’ll be excited to get going for sure. for the young lads it’ll be a mix of so many emotions, anticipation, fear, unbridled joy, nerves – the lot
11:26am
Lee Rodgers said | 11:26am | Report comment
Good Morning people! are you ready? the 2013 World Tour is about to kick off at the Santos Tour Down Under! yeehaw!