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Australian cycling team GreenEDGE had an international debut to forget as German sprint ace Andre Greipel dominated the Down Under Classic.
World under-23 champion Luke Durbridge, brought in to replace injured team-mate Jack Bobridge, was forced out of the Sunday’s twilight street race in Adelaide when he crashed while riding to the start.
Team officials are hopeful Durbridge will be ready for Tuesday’s start of the Tour Down Under.
GreenEDGE did plenty of work at the front of the peloton throughout the 51km street race, but the sprint trains of Greipel’s Lotto-Belisol team and Sky Procycling dominated the high-speed finish.
Top GreenEDGE sprinter Matt Goss pulled out of the sprint on the final lap when it was clear he would not feature in the top placings, while Robbie McEwen was their top finisher in 15th.
Greipel’s powerful turn of speed at the finish is an ominous sign for his sprint rivals ahead of this week’s Tour.
He was the overall winner in 2008 and ’10.
Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) was second in the Classic and Australian Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) was third.
“We have to start somewhere, don’t we?,” said GreenEDGE director Matt White.
“It was a little bit disorganised – it’s a tricky one, this one.
“We’re looking forward more to the road sprints, it’s a little bit different style of sprint.
“This race is all about positioning in that second-last corner, in the end about five or six guys ended up doing the sprint.”
Commenting on Goss, White added: “He wasn’t going to risk his life for 23rd.”
Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), a popular pre-race favourite, apparently punctured on the last lap of the race, a traditional precursor to the six-day Tour.
Meanwhile, White said it would be up to team doctors to decide if Durbridge starts the Tour.
“Durbo ran up the back of Gossy and went over the handlebars, he hit his head,” White said.
“He’s not racing tonight, just as a precaution, but our doctor saw him and just took him back to the hotel.”
“We’ll let the doctor decide, but I would think he’ll be starting on Tuesday.”
Durbridge was brought into the tour team two days ago after Bobridge was ruled out.
Bobridge hurt his hand in a crash on Tuesday at the Australian time trial championship, which Durbridge won.
White was only hours away from making his Tour de France debut in 2004 when he crashed in his warmup, breaking his collarbone.
“It’s bikes, it happens – it’s happened to me … talk about timing,” White said of Durbridge.
Australian Nathan Haas, a new signing for Garmin, impressed in a nine-man break that went clear midway through Sunday’s race and won three intermediate sprints before they were caught.
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