Australian cycling legend Cadel Evans has unleashed an outstanding ride to take the lead in the Tour Down Under.
The 2011 Tour de France champion and 2009 world road champion crushed his rivals on the crucial Corkscrew Rd climb to win Thursday’s stage three.
The BMC star finished 14 seconds clear of the chase group to gain a 12-second advantage over previous race leader Simon Gerrans.
Evans’ main Australian rivals Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Richie Porte (Sky) were unable to go with him on the Corkscrew climb and lost crucial time.
The peloton was decimated early on the 2.4km Corkscrew ascent, where the speed hit nearly 70km/h on the initial flat section, before Evans and Porte attacked.
Evans then used a steep section to drop Porte, who linked up with Gerrans for the chase.
Evans led by 16 seconds over the top of Corkscrew and showcased his superb descending skills on the tricky ride down to the finish at suburban Campbelltown.
Porte and Gerrans were caught by a larger chase group on the descent.
Australian Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) finished second and Italian Diego Ulissi (Lampre) was third.
Ulissi dropped from second to third overall, 15 seconds behind Evans.
The enthralling duel on Corkscrew between Evans and Porte was a preview of this year’s Giro d’Italia in May, their main goal for the season.
Australian cyclist Travis Meyer (Drapac), popular German veteran Jens Voigt (Trek), Ukrainian Andriy Grivko (Astana) and Frenchman Jerdine (Europcar) went clear in the first few kilometres of the 145km stage.
Cousins left the break well before the finish and, after Meyer was dropped, the peloton caught the remaining pair with 17km left.
Spaniard Rafael Valls Ferri was the latest rider to pull out of the Tour because of a crash.
He suffered a fracture of the humerus bone in his upper arm during Wednesday’s second stage and did not start on Thursday.
Fancy a wager on your favourite sport? Head on over to PlayUp for great odds and friendly customer service and pick a winner. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Australia's Jai Hindley has said he is "lost for words" after a shock stage victory at the Tour de France earned him the leader's…
Australia's Jai Hindley has said he is "lost for words" after a shock stage victory at the Tour de France earned him the leader's…
Tadej Pogacar has won a drama-packed Tour of Flanders, winning in a breakaway with Matieu van der Poel second, Mads Pedersen third and Wout…
Women are not allowed to compete in the Tour de France. However you choose to re-read that sentence, the fact remains: the most famous…
The jam-packed month-by-month quiz full of 2022 sports trivia!
Australian Grace Brown has won silver in the women's time trial, the first event at the world road cycling championships.
