Race Report: Oakley Males’s Stage 2: South Australia’s dwelling time trial legend Rohan Dennis greeted a raucous crowd to take a stage win and GC in his personal yard. Jumbo-Visma’s Dennis – a 2015 Tour Down Below champion – was far too good, utilizing his time trial abilities when it counted to say the Oakley stage 2 Brighton to Victor Harbor.
* Race report and quotes courtesy of the Santos Tour Down Below. *
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Dennis joined a wide ranging five-man breakaway group on the ultimate climb together with two Grand Tour winners. Simon Yates (Jayco AlULa), Jai Hindley (Bora-hansgrohe) Australian gun Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) and Swiss Mauro Schmid (Soudal-Quickstep) was a discipline of goals which added to the late race drama earlier than the Victor Harbor end line.
“It was arduous,” Dennis mentioned. “It was at all times going to explode on that climb. It was executed earlier than, like when Daryl Impey received in 2018 however I truthfully thought it could come again and I wasn’t keen to take that threat when Jay and Yates went up the street. So, I buried myself and hoped it paid off and it did.”
Dennis recorded his first Tour Down Below stage win since claiming the 2015 title when he showcased his bike abilities on the uphill Paracombe end line. The 2-time world-time trial champion and reigning Commonwealth Video games gold medalist completed the race forward of Vine, Schmid, Yates, Hindley and Australia’s dash gun Caleb Ewan at Victor Harbor.
Though Dennis rued the absence of teammate Robert Gesink who crashed and broke his hip throughout the Ziptrak stage 1 Tanunda to Tanunda, he was pressured to play a tactical sport with a person down. Jayco AlULa was additionally dealt a significant blow on race day when Australia’s Chris Harper didn’t begin.
He joined Gesink, Jordi Meeus (Bora-hansgrohe), Australians Graeme Frislie (Australian Nationwide Workforce) and Conor Leahy (Australian Nationwide Workforce) and Patrick Bevin (Workforce DSM) whereas Nice Britain’s James Knox (Soudal-Quickstep) was disqualified after drafting workforce vehicles following a crash on stage 1.
After a tepid begin on the Southern Expressway from a Brighton departure Alberto Bettiol’s total lead got here to an abrupt unhappy ending. Bettiol appeared to endure from a cramp to his left leg about 11km from the end line and threw his water bottle onto the tarmac in anger. Nevertheless, the battle was on for the early time bonuses within the Ziptrak dash 1 Esplanade, Snapper Level, Aldinga Seashore on the 33.6km mark.
It was a chaotic lead into the dash which happy ochre jersey chief Bettiol when Trek-Segafredo’s Marc Brustenga clinched the intermediate dash pole place. Jayco AlUla’s Michael Matthews was third, incomes a one-second bonus to remain behind Bettiol’s total lead. Bettiol’s EF Training-Easypost workforce had the Italian effectively protected when south-easterly 25km/h winds made driving uncomfortable because the peloton approached Sellicks Hill. Bettiol’s teammates have been heading the primary peloton as a breakaway led by Italian Manuele Boaro from Astana Qazakstan and Swiss Johan Jacobs maintained a four-minute hole.
As Myponga Reservoir approached the peloton break up as they chased down Boaro and Jacobs. Dennis saved the break up firm alongside the efex king of the mountain polka dot jersey of Luke Plapp from Ineos Grenadiers alongside teammate Magnus Sheffield who recovered from his stage 1 crash. Because the Ziptrak dash 2 on Predominant South Street, approached Bettiol was nonetheless in good condition to trigger an upset.
Matthews made a touch for extra time bonuses within the intermediate dash however the Italian stayed on his wheel to choose up a bonus second because the Australian got here in second behind Corbin Robust from Israel Premier Tech. At that stage of the race Bettiol nonetheless held a four-second total lead over Matthews and Sheffield.
Kazak Dmitriy Griuzdev then soloed to earn the primary efex King of the Mountain of the day at Parawa Hill incomes seven factors with 67.6km earlier than the Victor Harbor end line. Italy’s Alessandro Covi was second up the summit and put the warmth on wrestling the polka dot king of the mountain jersey from Plapp who was third earlier than the Nettle Hill summit was in sight, 20.9km from Victor Harbor.
Within the lead-up to the second king of the mountain, Matthews was pressured to vary bikes after a mishap with Sheffield earlier than Jay Vine (UAE Emirates) led a breakaway with Dennis, Yates, Hindley and Schmid. Vine claimed King of the Mountain honours and can personal the polka dot jersey for the Hahn stage 3 Norwood to Campbelltown on Friday.
[OAKLEY STAGE 2 WINNER, SANTOS OCHRE LEADERS JERSEY] Rohan DENNIS, Workforce Jumbo Visma:
You’ve received the stage and also you’re main the GC as effectively. How did all of it occur? Richie Porte predicted this may occur as effectively.
It appears he had extra religion in me then I had in myself. It was at all times going to explode on that climb prefer it has executed earlier than when Daryl IMPEY received in 2018. I truthfully thought it could at all times come again, however I wasn’t keen to take that threat when Jay VINE and Simon YATES went up the street so I buried myself and hoped it could repay, and it did.
You probably did it with out your teammate Robert GESINK who couldn’t race in the present day
It was clearly an enormous loss, however the guys rallied round me and did an excellent job in the present day one man down. I couldn’t be happier with how the blokes raced for me.
You’ve executed it in your yard as effectively
It’s at all times good to get a stage win on the Santos Tour Down Below, it’s been a very long time since I obtained one, 2015 was the final time. It truly is particular, I’ve obtained rather a lot to owe to this race. It’s what helped me go [professional] again in 2012, effectively within the 2013 season. And it’s helped lots of guys, not simply myself go to the subsequent step. It’s at all times a proud second to put on the Santos Ochre Chief’s Jersey.
[ZWIFT YOUNG RIDER’S JERSEY] Magnus SHEFFIELD, INEOS Grenadiers:
We thought you weren’t going to race in the present day after yesterday the place you had a reasonably dangerous crash.
Sure sadly I went down behind the Bora Hansgrohe rider, I hit the bottom fairly arduous so I wasn’t fairly positive how I might really feel this morning however I slept very well. Acquired to see the physician and get my first stitches. Felt fairly good on the trip on the turbo this morning. I simply felt higher all through the stage however I wasn’t in a position to maintain onto the blokes up that the climb, however glad to face up right here [on the stage].
[ZIPTRAK SPRINT JERSEY] Caleb EWAN, Australian Nationwide Workforce:
Had been you cheerful that you simply have been there [in the peloton] for the chance to come up?
We knew it was gonna be actually arduous for that climb, I assumed it’d be extra of a break up within the bunch that may get away, not simply 5 guys, particularly with the headwind coming into the end, however the [breakaway] was tremendous sturdy. I feel that the chase behind was really fairly dedicated, so effectively executed to them.
Discuss to us about racing with this workforce and having to race your individual battles.
Yeah, clearly the blokes aren’t so skilled within the WorldTour, They race [National Racing Series] and monitor principally. So the extent is tremendous excessive, and you already know, they’re doing their greatest. I knew that once I was going to return right here that I’d need to do lots of my very own racing and typically it’s good for me to remind myself the way to race property. As a result of lots of the time I simply comply with my workforce and so they handle me. So in a means it’s been fairly enjoyable to do it myself.
[EFEX KING OF THE MOUNTAIN JERSEY] Jay VINE, UAE Workforce Emirates:
Jay that was an enormous transfer, was that pre deliberate?
Yeah we noticed that climb within the briefing final night time with the winds. We had the suitable group excessive [so I thought] we may keep away. The possible suspects got here with us. Simon YATES, we knew that he’d be there and we simply needed to suck it up and provides him a tow to the end line.
Was there any communication with Simon YATES
I feel all of us simply accepted the truth that he was going to get on [the group] immediately. We additionally had mutual profit in getting concerned.
Had been you pondering long run to win the race? What was the sensation being within the group with Rohan DENNIS a number of time World Champion, and Two Grand Tour winners in there as effectively?
It’s fairly particular doing that in roads in my very own nation too. It was fairly cool to type of go in with a plan with the workforce to actually make the race and break it up earlier than we’ve obtained the Corkscrew which is tomorrow. It was fairly particular and actually cool to return into Victor Harbor like that.
Stage winner – Rohan Dennis (Jumbo Visma)
Santos chief’s jersey – Rohan Dennis (Jumbo Visma)
Ziptrak dash jersey – Caleb Ewan (Australian Nationwide Workforce)
Efex king of the mountain – Jay Vine (UAE Emirates)
Zwift younger rider’s jersey – Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers)
Yamaha best rider – Manuele Boaro (Astana Qazakstan
Santos Tour Down Below Males – Stage 2 End result:
1. Rohan DENNIS TJV AUS in 4:00:40
2. Jay VINE UAD AUS at 0:02
3. Mauro SCHMID SOQ SUI at 0:04
4. Simon YATES JAY GBR
5. Jai HINDLEY BOH AUS at 0:05
6. Caleb EWAN AUS AUS at 0:11
7. Emils LIEPINS TFS LAT
8. Corbin STRONG IPT NZL
9. Kaden GROVES ADC AUS
10. Paul PENHOET* GFC FRA.
Santos Tour Down Below Males – General After Stage 2:
1. Rohan DENNIS TJV AUS in 7:44:41
2. Jay VINE UAD AUS at 0:03
3. Magnus SHEFFIELD* IGD USA at 0:12
4. Mauro SCHMID SOQ SUI at 0:13
5. Corbin STRONG IPT NZL 0:14
6. Hugo PAGE* ICW FRA
7. Kaden GROVES ADC AUS at 0:15
8. Marius MAYRHOFER DSM GER at 0:17
9. Nikias ARNDT TBV GER at 0:19
10. Miles SCOTSON GFC AUS at 0:20.
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