With the Australian and New Zealand National Road Championships behind us, the focus now turns to the beginning of the 2015 UCI World Tour season with another edition of the Tour Down Under.
Will South Australia see off Cadel Evans in style? Or will a different competitor be the talk of the town by the end of the race?
Race route
The 2015 Tour Down Under’s route retains some familiar elements of 2014’s parcours while still keeping the peloton on their toes with some new additions. Retaining the stage finishes in Stirling and on Old Willunga Hill, the 17th edition of the Tour Down Under eschews the Corkscrew climb in favour of newer pastures.
Opening with a 132.6 kilometre stage beginning in Tanuda and finishing in Campbelltown, Stage One of the 2015 Tour Down Under looks to be a stage for the sprinters on paper. However, the presence of Checker Hill within the last 30 kilometres, preceding a fast descent in to Campbelltown, could influence the finale.
Beginning in Unley and ending 150.5 kilometres later in Stirling, Stage 2 will see the peloton tackle the same circuit finish ridden last year. On paper Stage 2 should be our first opportunity to which riders could be a pretender or contender for Simon Gerran’s throne, with the finish favouring a puncheur.
Stage 3 introduces a new finish to the Tour Down Under as the race treks the 143.2 kilometres from Norword to Paracombe. Another uphill finish, with the peloton climbing Torrens Hill Road to reach Paracombe, today will be another day for the puncheurs and climbers seeking either the stage or overall victory.
Although it has acted previously acted as a stage start, Mount Barker finally plays host to a stage finish in the 2015 Tour Down Under. The 144.5 kilometre-long stage, beginning in Glenelg, could be another opportunity for the sprinters to bag a stage victory. However, the lumpy parcours could potentially throw a spanner in the works if raced aggressively.
Stage 5 surely needs no introduction as the peloton tackle Old Willunga Hill for yet another year. Commencing in McLaren Vale for another year, the 151.5 kilometre-long stage once again ascends Old Willunga Hill twice. If the overall race victory has not yet been decided then we can expect another champion defining showdown on Old Willunga Hill.
The Tour Down Under concludes with its now tradition circuit around the streets of Adelaide during the sixth and final stage.
Shifting back to its traditional finish on King William Street with a modified 4.5 kilometre-long circuit, the 90 kilometre-long stage should once again play host to a high-octane sprint suited to the pure sprinters and their sprint trains.
Overall contenders
The locals will be hoping for yet another Australian winner in lieu of Orica-GreenEDGE’s Simon Gerrans, with Team Sky’s Richie Porte the overwhelming favourite for the victory heading in to the race.
However, the foreign competition could cause an upset and cannot be discounted, with 2005 Tour Down Under champion Luis Leon Sanchez leading the charge.
Most of Australia will be hoping for Cadel Evans to bow out on a high in his last ever Tour Down Under and with BMC Racing sending a strong squad to assist him his chances of a podium position seem strong.
However, with Evans’ form largely untested in the Australian National Road Championships it remains to see how he will compare against an in form Richie Porte.
Orica-GreenEDGE enter the 2015 Tour Down Under with two or three cards up their sleeve in the form of Cameron Meyer, Simon Clarke and the ever versatile and reliable Daryl Impey. Currently the market favours Impey, who finished seventh overall in 2014 while working for Gerrans, over Meyer and Clarke.
However, if the two Australians can find their form the team can expected to liven up the race with some aggressive tactics in their bid for at least a stage victory.
After finishing last year’s race fifth overall, another Australian rider to watch out for in the General Classification could be Nathan Haas. With Cannondale-Garmin bringing with them a strong overall squad with Moreno Moser and Ryder Hesjedal also present, which could form a lethal three-way threat if all three cyclists are in form.
Other honourable mentions in the contention for a potential overall victory in the Tour Down Under include Tinkoff Saxo’s Michael Rogers, AG2R Le Mondiale’s diminutive Italian Domenico Pozzovivo, Team Katusha’s new signing Tiago Machado and Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas.
Although, with peloton guaranteed to be in different states of form and fitness depending on their training plans and season goals we may witness a surprise performance or two.
Stay tuned to The Roar for further analysis and coverage of the 2015 Tour Down Under, with Stage 1 beginning the 20th of January.
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