Tour Down Under 2017 – Stage 4 [FULL STAGE]

January 20, 2016

Tour Down Under 2017 – Stage 4 – Norwood – Campbelltown – 149,5 km

The 2007 Tour Down Under was held from 16 to 21 January 2007 in Australia. It was a multiple stage road cycling race that took part over five stages with a total of 667 kilometres and is part of the 2006-2007 UCI Oceania Tour. The 2007 Down Under Classic was the official warm-up race for the event.

Caleb Ewan (Orica Scott) claimed his third stage win at the Tour Down Under, continuing his uncompromising domination in this year’s sprint finishes. The Australian sprinter once again had the better of World Champion Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe), who left himself with too much to do in the closing 500 metres. Danny van Poppel (Team Sky) was once again consistent to take third, but Ewan, who came around the Sky rider inside the final 100 metres, was simply unstoppable.

Richie Porte (BMC Racing) enjoyed a relatively calm day in the peloton to retain his overall lead in the race with just two stages remaining. He leads Gorka Izagirre (Movistar) by 20 seconds and Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) by 22.

However, stage 4 was all about Orica’s pocket-rocket sprinter, who once again delivered on the biggest stage. His team marshalled the final kilometres with Daryl Impey delivering the Australian to the front ahead of the final left-hand corner. The team’s new lead out man, Roger Klugge, did the rest but Ewan still had work to do after Team Sky set up Van Poppel. The Dutchman came towards the finish line with Ewan on his wheel but he could not nothing as Ewan came around the left-hand side.

How it unfolded

The stage from Norwood to Campbelltown always favoured the bunch sprinters but with this being the last realistic chance for a break to survive, there were a number of candidates willing to chance their luck in a break.

Tsgabu Grmay (Bahrain-Merida), Maurits Lammertink (Katusha-Alpecin) and Dries Devenyns (Quick-Step Floors) created a small gap and formed the first break of the stage after just a handful of kilometres. However, the trio were reeled in only for another set of fresh faces to break clear with Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data), Will Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac), Peter Stetina (Trek-Segafredo) and Michael Kolar (Bora-hansgrohe) forming another break.

They were soon caught too as the Ansteys Hill put a number of riders into difficulty.

Next up were Ondrej Cink (Bahrain-Merida), Jack Bauer (Quick-Step Floors) and Cam Meyer (UniSA-Australia) and this time the bunch were happy with selection and the threesome quickly built a lead with the gap moving out to 1:30 as they approached the KOM on Checker Hill Road at 25.1km

The gap was enough to put Cink, who started the day 57 seconds down on race leader Porte, into the race lead out on the road but BMC were never truly threatened, even when the gap extended to over two minutes.

With just under 55km to go Bauer decided to test his companions and Cinq immediately fell back with only the former race winner, Meyer, able to hold the New Zealander’s wheel. Back in the bunch Lars Bak (Lotto Soudal), Will Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac) and Michael Valgren (Astana) jumped clear as they tried to shake up the bunch but when Clarke punctured they lost their momentum.

Bauer though was fully focused on the task at hand and soon he was on his own when Meyer lost contact.

By now though the bunch were warmed up and closing in on the Quick-Step Floors rider. Dimension Data, Team Sky, Sunweb and Orica-Scott set about leading the chase and with less than five kilometres to go Bauer was caught.

“It is the stage this week that I thought there was a small chance of the break going to the line. A few years ago, Bobridge held off everybody to win in Campbelltown,” Bauer said at the finish.

“Obviously it wasn’t the same stage but a similar finale and similar run in. we never had enough rope really to vie for the stage but I was going to give it a crack anyone.

“You have to gamble, you have to roll the dice. It always depends how the bunch id feeling behind you and apparently they were feeling pretty good because it is not all downhill that gorge. There is a fair bit of uphill in it too. Inside the final 20, 15 kilometres I rolled the dice but by 4km they had me. Good day out, but no cigar.”

The stage was still up for grabs and the final left hand turn before the flamme rouge to go saw Team Sky muscle their way to the front. It briefly looked like Ewan would be shut out but Orica were calm under pressure and delivered their payload to the front just at the right moment.

“It was a really tricky one,” he said at the finish.

“It is hard for a lead out train to stay together down a finish like that down the Gorge. I was with Daryl Impey for most of it and he did a mega job. He had to move me up and also you saw in the last kilometre he pretty much took me to 300 metres to go so that was an amazing turn.

“I wasn’t panicking at the time as I knew there was a fair bit of time to go and I could open my sprint.”

Results :
1 Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott 3:45:19
2 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
3 Danny van Poppel (Ned) Team Sky
4 Ben Swift (GBr) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
5 Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data
6 Baptiste Planckaert (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin
7 Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe
8 Callum Scotson (Aus) UniSA-Australia
9 Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team
10 Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
11 Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac
12 Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto Soudal
13 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ
14 Jhonatan Restrepo (Col) Katusha-Alpecin
15 Ruben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo
16 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb
17 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
18 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team
19 Rafael Valls (Spa) Lotto Soudal
20 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
21 Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing Team
22 Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
23 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-Scott
24 Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
25 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Bahrain-Merida
26 Jesus Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team
27 Nathan Earle (Aus) UniSA-Australia
28 José Gonçalves (Por) Katusha-Alpecin
29 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-Scott
30 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team
31 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Team Sky
32 Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors
33 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Trek-Segafredo
34 Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ
35 Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
36 Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac
37 Patrick Bevin (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac
38 Petr Vakoc (Cze) Quick-Step Floors
39 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) UniSA-Australia
40 Paul Martens (Ger) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
41 Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) FDJ
42 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
43 Tiago Machado (Por) Katusha-Alpecin
44 Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Astana Pro Team
45 Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Team Sky
46 José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team
47 Francois Bidard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
48 Carlos Barbero Cuesta (Spa) Movistar Team
49 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team
50 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ
51 Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale
52 Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ
53 Clement Chevrier (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
54 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team
55 Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac
56 Marco Marcato (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
57 Samuel Jenner (Aus) UniSA-Australia
58 Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Bahrain-Merida
59 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Cannondale-Drapac
60 Michael Storer (Aus) UniSA-Australia
61 Chris Hamilton (Aus) Team Sunweb
62 Jai Hindley (Aus) UniSA-Australia
63 James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal
64 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
65 Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo
66 Miles Scotson (Aus) BMC Racing Team
67 Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky
68 Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal
69 Jeremy Maison (Fra) FDJ
70 Marko Kump (Slo) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
71 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
72 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Soudal
73 Koen de Kort (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
74 Ondrej Cink (Cze) Bahrain-Merida
75 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Soudal
76 Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb
77 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Quick-Step Floors
78 Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
79 Matti Breschel (Den) Astana Pro Team
80 Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Katusha-Alpecin
81 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Quick-Step Floors
82 Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
83 Roger Kluge (Ger) Orica-Scott
84 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team
85 Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin
86 Ben O’Connor (Aus) Dimension Data
87 Víctor de la Parte (Spa) Movistar Team
88 Manuele Mori (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
89 Louis Meintjes (RSA) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
90 Alexey Vermeulen (USA) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
91 Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
92 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica-Scott
93 Cameron Meyer (Aus) UniSA-Australia
94 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
95 Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida
96 Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Astana Pro Team
97 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
98 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Katusha-Alpecin
99 Lennard Hofstede (Ned) Team Sunweb
100 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
101 Jack Bauer (NZl) Quick-Step Floors
102 Martin Velits (Svk) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:16
103 Sebastian Henao Gomez (Col) Team Sky
104 Michal Kolár (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:18
105 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal
106 Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:00:21
107 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Dimension Data
108 Rudiger Selig (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:23
109 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:26
110 Jacques Janse van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data 0:00:36
111 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team
112 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Sunweb
113 Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:00:39
114 Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:00:41
115 Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data 0:00:43
116 Tyler Farrar (USA) Dimension Data 0:00:56
117 Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team
118 Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team
119 Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky 0:01:04
120 Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:01:08
121 Bert-Jan Lindeman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
122 Robert Wagner (Ger) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:01:16
123 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:23
124 Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica-Scott 0:01:36
125 Jacobus Venter (RSA) Dimension Data 0:02:17
126 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
127 Thomas Scully (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac 0:03:03
128 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:05:14
129 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:05:19
130 Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:06:39
131 Damien Howson (Aus) Orica-Scott
132 William Clarke (Aus) Cannondale-Drapac 0:09:42

General classification after Stage 4 :
1 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 14:20:18
2 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:20
3 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-Scott 0:00:22
4 Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:24
5 Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data 0:00:27
6 Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:29
7 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team
8 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
9 Rafael Valls (Spa) Lotto Soudal
10 Ruben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo
11 Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
12 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
13 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb
14 Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors
15 Jhonatan Restrepo (Col) Katusha-Alpecin
16 Nathan Earle (Aus) UniSA-Australia 0:00:33
17 Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac
18 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Team Sky
19 Jesus Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team
20 Michael Storer (Aus) UniSA-Australia
21 Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac 0:00:45
22 Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
23 Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) FDJ 0:00:47
24 Patrick Bevin (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac 0:00:49
25 Petr Vakoc (Cze) Quick-Step Floors
26 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
27 Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:52
28 Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:53
29 Chris Hamilton (Aus) Team Sunweb
30 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) UniSA-Australia
31 Ondrej Cink (Cze) Bahrain-Merida 0:00:55
32 Jai Hindley (Aus) UniSA-Australia 0:00:57
33 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
34 Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:01
35 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-Scott 0:01:02
36 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica-Scott 0:01:07
37 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 0:01:12
38 José Gonçalves (Por) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:14
39 José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:15
40 Ben O’Connor (Aus) Dimension Data 0:01:17
41 Paul Martens (Ger) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:01:19
42 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Quick-Step Floors
43 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
44 Louis Meintjes (RSA) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
45 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Soudal 0:01:20
46 Jack Bauer (NZl) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:27
47 Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:01:31
48 Ben Swift (GBr) Team UAE Abu Dhabi 0:01:41
49 Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:01:43
50 Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Katusha-Alpecin
51 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:01:44
52 Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:48
53 Samuel Jenner (Aus) UniSA-Australia 0:02:03
54 Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:02:31
55 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:36
56 Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:02:46
57 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Quick-Step Floors 0:03:02
58 Cameron Meyer (Aus) UniSA-Australia 0:03:04
59 Clement Chevrier (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:12
60 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Bahrain-Merida 0:03:23
61 Víctor de la Parte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:38
62 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:03:40
63 Alexey Vermeulen (USA) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
64 Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data 0:03:41
65 Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:03:50
66 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Soudal
67 Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:53
68 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Bahrain-Merida 0:03:55
69 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team UAE Abu Dhabi 0:04:03
70 Jeremy Maison (Fra) FDJ 0:04:09
71 Tiago Machado (Por) Katusha-Alpecin 0:04:17
72 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team
73 Marco Marcato (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi 0:04:21
74 Manuele Mori (Ita) Team UAE Abu Dhabi
75 James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal 0:04:28
76 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ 0:04:38
77 Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:05:03
78 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Katusha-Alpecin 0:05:12
79 Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:05:17
80 Jacques Janse van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data 0:05:56
81 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:06:00
82 Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team 0:06:08
83 Martin Velits (Svk) Quick-Step Floors 0:06:11
84 Koen de Kort (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:06:19
85 Miles Scotson (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:06:25
86 Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team 0:06:42
87 Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo 0:07:18
88 Baptiste Planckaert (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin 0:07:27
89 Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ 0:07:43
90 Francois Bidard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
91 Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:08:33
92 Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:08:37
93 Carlos Barbero Cuesta (Spa) Movistar Team
94 Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Bahrain-Merida 0:08:49
95 Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott 0:09:08
96 Matti Breschel (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:09:33
97 Lennard Hofstede (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:09:46
98 Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 0:09:56
99 Jacobus Venter (RSA) Dimension Data 0:10:30
100 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:10:42
101 Callum Scotson (Aus) UniSA-Australia 0:10:55
102 Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Bahrain-Merida 0:11:26
103 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Cannondale-Drapac 0:11:33
104 Rudiger Selig (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
105 Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Team Sky 0:11:41
106 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:11:45
107 Roger Kluge (Ger) Orica-Scott
108 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team
109 Michal Kolár (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:11:48
110 Marko Kump (Slo) Team UAE Abu Dhabi 0:11:52
111 Sebastian Henao Gomez (Col) Team Sky 0:11:57
112 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Dimension Data 0:11:58
113 Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ 0:12:11
114 Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:12:13
115 Robert Wagner (Ger) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:12:49
116 Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:13:07
117 Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica-Scott 0:13:22
118 Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky 0:13:31
119 Bert-Jan Lindeman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:13:43
120 Thomas Scully (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac 0:14:30
121 Danny van Poppel (Ned) Team Sky 0:14:51
122 Tyler Farrar (USA) Dimension Data 0:15:08
123 Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky 0:15:32
124 Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:16:57
125 Francisco Ventoso (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:17:00
126 Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Astana Pro Team 0:18:34
127 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Sunweb 0:19:40
128 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:19:57
129 William Clarke (Aus) Cannondale-Drapac 0:21:18
130 Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:23:59
131 Damien Howson (Aus) Orica-Scott 0:26:02
132 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:27:53