He who hesitates lets in hot Italian
CALEB Ewan said last night he blew a perfect lead-out from his team in Victor Harbour as he braces for an all-out attack on his leader’s ochre jersey in the first decisive stage of the Tour Down Under today.
Italian Olympic gold medallist Elia Viviani yesterday won a shortened Stage 3 from Glenelg to Victor Harbour in 41C heat from German Phil Bauhaus while Ewan was third to retain his 10-second lead as the tour heads for the hills at Uraidla.
But the Australian was left to rue a golden opportunity to win back-to-back stages when a moment’s hesitation in the final 200m cost him victory.
“I hesitated in the end and it really cost me, I had a perfect lead-out from the boys,” Ewan said. “I thought it was going to be a block headwind, so I really didn’t want to go too early and have another sprinter on my wheel and get rolled at the last minute, so I wanted to get my timing right and Elia got the jump on me.”
Despite his uphill sprint to win a dramatic Stage 2 on Wednesday, the MitcheltonScott young gun is realistic about his chances of sticking with the likes of Richie Porte on today’s climb up Norton Summit before the queen stage to Old Willunga Hill on Saturday.
“We have guys like Daryl [Impey] who can do really well on those stages,” he said.
Viviani was the Tour’s fourth different winner in four days of racing this week and said the team targeted the stage into Victor Harbour by scouting the finish.
“Already from the criterium we understood we could win one stage and that was the goal this week,” he said.
“We needed a few days to understand how to do the leadout and yesterday in Stirling was a good sign for me because you could see me try in a finish that was very hard for me but I am really determined and finally we got this win.
“I asked my guys to be in the top 10 in the last corner and we were eight and nine, and when I saw 200m, I thought, ‘OK now or nothing’, the legs are good and it’s a good start to the season.”
Temperatures are expected to hit 41C again today and race organisers will start Stage 4 an hour earlier. TDU race director Mike Turtur said this year’s Tour was the second hottest in its 19-year history behind 2006 when there were four consecutive days over 40C.
“The heat was able,” Viviani said.
“Yesterday was hot but OK, today was really unbelievable.
“When we did the intermediate sprint you do one effort and you were at the limit so the point today was to refresh yourself as much as possible and do one last effort [at the finish].
“I think it was a good move to come here straight away on unbeliev- January 3 for training and to start to feel this heat.
“It’s what you need to do to come here and be competitive.”
Earlier in the stage Nicholas Dlamini extended his lead in the mountain’s jersey by winning the KOM at Penny’s Hill while UniSA-Australia young gun Scott Bowden launched a late solo attack only to be caught 15km from the finish.