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Tour Down Under: Stage 6 cycling live race updates, blog

22nd January, 2017
Start time: 2pm (AEDT)
Expected finish: 4pm (AEDT)
Venue: Adelaide
Start/Finish: King William Street
TV: Live, Nine Network

Top 10 General Classification
1. Richie Porte (BMC) @ 18:00:21
2. Esteban Chavez (Orica-Scott) + 0:48
3. Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) + 0:51
4. Jay McCarthy (Bora) + 0:54
5. Diego Ulissi (UAE) + 0:59
6. Rohan Dennis (BMC) + 1:02
7. Rafael Valls (Lotto-Soudal) + 1:02
8. Robert Gesink (Lotto-Jumbo) + 1:02
9. Wilco Keldermann (Sunweb) + 1:02
10. Nathan Earle (UniSA) + 1:06
The peloton riding through Australia (Team Sky)
Expert
22nd January, 2017
112

Richie Porte might have the Tour Down Under general classification all locked up bar the shouting, but Stage 6 around the streets of Adelaide will see one final chance for the sprinters to dethrone Caleb Ewan. Join The Roar for live coverage from 2pm (AEDT).

The famous Willunga Hill was the venue for Stage 5, always the deciding of the first race on the UCI calendar for the year and it didn’t disappoint.

Richie Porte rode away from a splintered bunch, and not for the first time on this tour to claim extend his lead in the Ochre jersey to 48 seconds, something that seems to be unassailable on the flat street race around Adelaide barring a major disaster.

Esteban Chavez is the man in second place, but unless Porte is dropped from the main group, all of the Orica-Scott efforts will be on Caleb Ewan and securing the dynamo sprinter his fourth stage win and the sprint classification.

Ewan has been untouchable at the front of the peloton on the flat stages during the week with the Australian National Criterium Champion picking up three stage wins already, beating all the over fast men in the peloton time and time again.

For today’s Stage 6 though, it might be the Criterium experience and skill – races on circuits of a short distance – that brings him success.

The stage is only 90 kilometres in length, so very short but not without difficulty as they ride 20 laps of a 4.5-kilometre circuit, which goes across the River Torrens.

Starting on King William Street, there is a sharp turn to go back the other way before they loop before they loop around the north side of the river, including two King of the Mountains points on laps nine and twelve.

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The final drag to the finish line though is a long, straight one and timing the sprint will be key to victory – being a false flat drag, any riders who go too early will see themselves struggling to finish in the top ten.

While Ewan is the favourite, others have shown good form this week with Sam Bennett leading that charge. He will once again likely have the support of world champion Peter Sagan who so far this week hasn’t raced for himself.

Danny Van Poppell is the other who looks like he could pull off a surprise, and he will have full support from the Team Sky train today.

Others to watch on the short stage to conclude the race include Nathan Haas, Niccolo Bonifazio and Jay McCarthy, who have all showed something during the week to suggest form is reasonable.

Prediction
Caleb Ewan’s form has been absolutely superb and this course suits him down to the ground. With no Chavez to look after, Orica’s efforts will be completely focused on their young sprinter and he should pull off yet another win here.

Caleb Ewan to beat Sam Bennett to the line.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 6 at the Tour Down Under from 2pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments throughout the course of the coverage.

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Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde

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