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GreenEDGE’s Simon Gerrans might have been edged out on the line by Alejandro Valverde on stage five of the Tour Down Under but it was the Australian rider who had the ochre jersey on his shoulders afterwards, setting up a mouthwatering final stage on Sunday.
In an enthralling second climb up Willunga Hill, Valverde was hauled back into the race by Movistar teammate Javier Moreno but as he and Gerrans broke away in the final few hundred metres it looked as if Gerrans would pull away for the victory.
But the 31-year-old Spanish rider, who returned to the Tour Down Under this year after serving a two-year doping ban, pulled level with Gerrans and clinched an emotional win by a half-wheel margin right on the line, with Tiago Machada (RadioShack-Nissan) third across the line.
The time advantage that Valverde earned from the win means he and Gerrans go into Sunday’s 90km stage around Adelaide City locked on time, with Gerrans claiming the leader’s jersey on previous placings.
The final stage around the streets of the city offer little in terms of separating the two riders, and time bonuses will decide the stage.
Should Gerrans hold onto the lead as expected and claim his second Tour Down Under title, it would be a huge coup for his GreenEDGE cycling team, racing in their first UCI ProTour event.
Earlier, Stuart O’Grady and Nathan Haas broke away and were soon joined by a four-man group including Thomas De Gendt but as the race heated up up the second climb of Willunga Hill, the group quickly disbanded as the peloton drove on.
A chasing pack consisting of 20 riders swallowed up the six riders with around 10km, before Gerrans, Valverde, Rabobank rider Michael Matthews, Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen and Michael Rogers, UniSA’s Rohan Dennis and Javier Moreno broke away toward the finish.
In a surprising turn, Norwegian hope Boasson Hagen wilted in the final stages leaving Michael Rogers as Team Sky’s only hope of winning, but it was Gerrans and Valverde who would fight it out towards the line.
Tomorrow’s stage shapes as a cracking finish to the 2012 Tour Down Under and while it would would be a massive win for Valverde in his first event in two years, the strength of the GreenEDGE team should ensure that an Australian finishes atop the podium in this year’s event.
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