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Stage 4 will be another tough day in the hills of Adelaide as the 2016 Tour Down Under takes on a 138-kilometre journey from Norwood to Victor Harbour. Will Simon Gerrans hold onto the overall lead? Find out as The Roar brings you live coverage from 12:30pm (AEDT).
Yesterday, the peloton battled the famous Corkscrew hill, with speeds reaching over 100 km/h in some areas.
In the end, despite former leader Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff) hanging onto the lead group, Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) sprinted away with the stage win, and the overall race lead.
The race is now Gerrans’ to lose, despite his lead being only three seconds with three days remaining, as the terrain suits him across the next two stages, and the final stage is for the sprinters.
Stage 4 sees the peloton climbing from the gun, all the way to the day’s high point at about 550 metres. They then descend, with some uphill stretches towards the day’s first intermediate sprint, in Mylor, before the lumpy terrain continues.
Goolwa hosts the second intermediate sprint, shortly after 100 kilometres of racing, before the riders shape up for the only categorised climb of the day, to Port Elliott.
The climb, while not being more than a few kilometres in length, is steep enough to cause some damage and will be the determining point of the day. If the sprinters stay close to contact, they will likely win the day, with flat all the way to the finish line at Victor Harbour. However, the finale will be ridden along the beach, so windy conditions could create splits in the peloton.
Prediction
If the sprinters are to hang on then it is hard to see anyone getting over the top of Caleb Ewan, while Gerrans again looks the goods if the sprinters are dropped. Watch out for Geraint Thomas and Rohan Dennis though.
Join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 4 of the 2016 Tour Down Under from 12:30pm (AEDT), and don’t forget to comment if you’re following along with the action.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde