IMPEY’S SECRET PLAN LED TO AUSSIE TOUR WIN
THE secret plan for Daryl Impey to steal the Tour Down Under’s ochre jersey was hatched at a meeting in Italy last October and materialised in Adelaide yesterday when he became the first South African to win the race.
Impey won on a countback from defending champion Richie Porte, who finished on the same time but was runner-up for the third time in four years despite his Willunga Hill heroics on Saturday.
The final stage of the TDU was won by German sprinter Andre Greipel.
The week belonged to Impey, who said it was right up there with wearing the yellow jersey in the Tour de France in 2013.
“Nothing can top that but I worked really hard for this one so it’s fantastic, especially knowing how important it is for the team,” Impey said. “It’s a step up in my career, you reach certain milestones and this is one of them.”
Impey produced the biggest upset in five years at the TDU and his team Mitchelton-Scott only revealed he was targeting the general classification on Saturday night.
The plan was hatched in a meeting with team director Matt White at its headquarters in Varese in October where Impey was told that because of Esteban Chaves’ injury he was the man to win the TDU.
Impey then dedicated his pre-season to training at altitude and in the heat at his home in Johannesburg.
Next came the team’s decision to keep their plan quiet and no one listed Impey as a possible contender.