They enter the market with three models, the St Bernard, the Heidi and the Franc, and on these names alone they are already setting the stage for being a little different. Ranged between (AUS) $329 for the St Bernard and $879 for the Franc, they are targetting entry to mid-range budgets, though are aiming to provide better value for money compared with the more well known and established brands. Particularly for the Heidi (retail $594) the value for money was quite apparent when BNA’s secret test rider (lets call him Cycling Stig), was surprised at the price, considering the weight of 1.5 kg and performance in both training and racing.

Overall, the wheelsets tick the boxes when it comes to price, quality and performance. The top model Francs also come with soft bags for transporting the wheelsets and have Swiss Side skewers. As with most of the cycling gear manufactured in this age, these wheelsets are made in Taiwan. George assures me that after years of experience with Taiwanese manufacturers, they have chosen both an experienced and qualified manufacturing partner and the development of these wheelsets means that they are very much an individual product and not stock standard. Each wheelset, including the entry level St Bernards, are hand built and this gives them a point of difference with mass produced wheels.

So that all sounds good… BUT…

Swiss Side wheelsets may not appeal to everyone, in particular the seasoned cyclist who would automatically tend towards a more well known product as well as a product that fits better with their own visual expectations. Technically the wheels feel good, the names and the artwork design of the wheelsets however, particularly the St Bernard and the Heidi, are out of the ordinary. Purely on this basis, the wheels can loose some appeal to the really serious cyclists where a sense of union and conformity is important to their cycling lifestyle.

The St Bernard (pictured) features a faux wood pattern. While this reminds me of the Swiss Alps with wooden chateau’s dotted through the valleys, and is enforced with the Old European style typography contrasting with the sleek red, black and white styling of Swiss Side, this could also throw off a lot of people who are after a simpler, modern and less conflicting look.

Jean-Paul comments, “With regards to the styling of road bike wheels currently on the market, we find the general state of affairs very bland and uninspiring. Therefore we have invested a lot of time and effort in developing wheels with character. The engineering design and the intended use for each wheel set model, has been coupled with developing a distinct character and graphic design artwork to go with it.

“In this way we strive to give the customer more than just a set of wheels but a story behind each one which has been created and developed with the particular wheel model from grass roots concept stage onwards. If the rave reviews from the circles of the graphic design industry and customers alike are anything to go by, then we believe we are onto something special!”

One of the striking features through the range of wheelsets are the black spokes broken by two red and one single white spoke, in the Swiss national colour. Particularly on the Francs, this is a lovely detail.

If you remember the extravagent Rock Racing team who’s team kit featured skulls and artwork more likely to be found in a tattoo parlour – the Heidi Wheelset with lime green typography on red is also a different look and suited to a rider who appreciates the puns and kitch of the Swiss Heidi. If you have a frame with dominantly red, white and black, the lime green is an attractive accent though this is not for the weak. If other cyclists in your bunch break into spontaneous yodeling, you will know why.

The Titanium Vuelo Velo with Swiss Side Francs

The top model 27mm deep aluminium Francs with aero spokes and seemless welding weigh in at 1,533 grams (excl. skewers).

“The Franc wheel set has been designed to challenge the Mavic Ksyrium SL, the Fulcrum Racing 1 and the Campagnolo Eurus” says Jean-Paul. “These wheels typically focus purely on stiffness with a large compromise to the aerodynamics. With the Franc wheel set we have put a much heavier focus on the aerodynamics and in particular drag reduction, without compromising the stiffness. We have achieved this through the rim profile design, the ‘clean connect’ spoke to rim interface, and the tapered bladed aluminum spoke. In this way we believe to have produced a more rounded wheel design which offers a more than competitive stiffness to weight ratio without compromising the aerodynamic performance.”

One interesting things about Swiss Side is a non-traditional approach to delivering their wheels. Instead of importing and working through distributers, a process that takes years, they are utilising the internet and sending wheels from overseas directly to the customer. This significantly reduces overheads though for Australian customers they are still able to offer local support and warranty fulfillment.

While these wheels may not be for everyone – if you buy a complete bike and are looking to upgrade your wheels, or have a reliable second set, it could be worth your while to see what Swiss Side wheels offer.

The Crooked Path to Victory: Drugs and Cheating in Professional Bicycle Racing is from Les Woodland was initially disappointing in terms of providing technical insights, and it doesn’t touch on any of the current controversies, but it does provide rich returns in understanding the culture of doping in cycling and its long history, going back to the start of professional cycling in the late 1800s and its roots in the ultra-endurance athletics fad of the 1870s.

Starting in the early 1890s with the horrendous 6-day solo races, pharmacological assistance went hand-in-glove with these gruelling  events, packaged by promoters and served to a mass audience hungry to be entertained by the suffering of others.

These weren’t 6-day stage races through the countryside, where the riders got post-stage massages, a civilised meal and a good night’s sleep. No, these went for six days non-stop, around rickety indoor wooden board tracks and around the clock. Clarification – are these track events? — yes The more tired and hallucinatory the riders got, the more the crowd packing into the stadium loved it. Shady promoters pulling out bottles of exotic substances with a grandiose flourish to keep the riders going were part of the spectacle. Dosed with cocktails of heroin, cocaine and strychnine, numerous talented riders met early and sad ends, a theme that is revisited numerous times throughout the book.

The book is not limited to drug-related cheating. In the early days of pneumatic tyres, it was common for riders and spectators to scatter nails across the road to slow riders they didn’t like. As the motor car became more accessible, drivers would from time to time attempt to take out riders from opposing teams. Sometimes groups of parochial spectators would lie in wait for competitors who were a threat to their local favourites. Sometimes they succeeded; sometimes competitors fought back or developed ruses of their own to beat the cheats.

The book is not all doom and gloom however, and the author, a cycling enthusiast, lightens the tone with amusing anecdotes of riders pulling the wool over the eyes of officials and other riders. Episodes are shared in which riders have played practical jokes on the peloton, some of which backfired spectacularly. The 1969 Tour de France stage between Clermont-Ferrand and Montagis is one example.

Rini “Tufty” Wagtmans attacked early in the neutral zone before the official start and then, out of sight around a corner, hid in an alleyway. The peloton, enraged, took off after him. What Tufty hadn’t banked on was how spectacularly successful his ruse would be, and instead of joining his pals at the back at a sedate pace for a laugh, he was reduced to chasing the bunch for miles, his face grimacing and his teeth clenched.

Through most of professional cycling’s history, making a satisfactory living has been extremely difficult. Except for the select few stars and team leaders who made good wages, the rest, the domestiques (whose job is to protect and assist the rider with the best chance of winning) would often only be given a couple of jerseys, some bike shorts and a bike, and make do with prize money that the team accumulated during a race. Endorsements from outside the bike industry were rare.

It come as no surprise then that “understandings” and “arrangements” were often made between riders to share out the limited money on offer, and race results were often the result of these arrangements rather than who was best on the day.

This background provides a rich vein of stories of riders bucking the arrangement and upsetting the established order, with personal feuds and careers made and destroyed. This is presented by the author in an entertaining style, as an example, riders who had won the World Champs or another major race and resulting in their cycling career finishing instead of being kick-starting.

Frequently race organisers would expect the “stars” and their teams to make their way from one multi-day stage race in Italy or Spain after having won or done well, and then a day later turn up in northern Holland or Belgium to start another gruelling race and somehow be in top form. It was difficult to resist the pressure to take “a little something to help” and ignore the long term consequences to one’s health for the sake of the team and the next pay-cheque. The “dirty little secret” of professional cycling was an accepted part of the peloton  followed into the sixties.

The development of the anti drugs in sport laws by the left wingers in French politics began in the mid-1960s, up until which time the “dirty little secret” of professional cycling was simply part of the peloton. As this is explored it marks the start of the battle between riders and testers which unfolds as a cat-and-mouse game. In rapid succession the author shares tales of hidden tubes being used to supply samples before  taking a journey closer to the pharmacological bleeding edge.

The tragedy and irony of the high-profile death on Mont Ventoux of British star Tom Simpson is explored and the seriousness with which detection was applied by sporting authorities through the seventies and eighties increase. Fascinating detail is given to explosive Festina affair of 1998 which even included a few political conspiracy speculations. The Festina Affair was a seminal event in sports doping and sent shockwaves through professional sport worldwide.

Interesting Whatever happened to…? vignettes look into the repurcussions for those who were caught and punished fleshing out how they dealt with (and sometimes didn’t deal with) the impact on their careers of being caught cheating.

A useful set of references concludes the book for avid readers wishing to explore cycling history and sports doping generally in more detail

While the book didn’t deal with the subject quite the way I expected, and doesn’t take a view on whether the current state of professional cycling is now “clean”, it was nevertheless a riveting read.  Instead of quickly-dated technical information, the book deals more with the structural issues in professional cycling as a form of entertainment, particularly how the tensions between the interests of promoters and cyclists themselves have often led to riders burning their candles at both ends. That it does this while remaining thoroughly entertaining is a credit to the writer and his tabloid journalism background.

Likes

• Easy to read, entertaining style
• Doesn’t gloss over the seriousness of the human issues
• Thought provoking without being “heavy”

Dislikes

• Typesetting could be better

My Rating:  4 out of 5

This book and more are available from the Woodslane Online Bookstore:
The Crooked Path to Victory: Drugs and Cheating in Professional Bicycle Racing is from Les Woodland

Riders are encouraged to challenge themselves in their route selection and join in with fundraising for the event. Proceeds go towards vital community development projects, with last  year focussing on the development of a children’s home in Western Kenya where 120 AIDS orphans are housed and educated. Be a part of this great day, and change a life while you peddle with friends.

Date: 2nd June 2012

Info: www.tourofhope.com.au

Mark Gunter presents his second series of 2012 Tour Down Under photos that document Simon Gerrans rise to victory, leading team GreenEdge to a successful start on the world circuit. For Robbie McEwen the race was of particular note as he confirmed during the team meeting before the final stage that it is his last big race he will compete in on this continent – McEwen will make the transition from rider to mentor in team GreenEDGE.

Will Clarke solos to a magnificent win into Sterling.

Oscar Freire outclassed a much younger field on stage 3.

The peleton string out as they head south.

The peleton near Victor Harbor under windy but blue skies.

Stuart O’Grady controls the speed as the sprinters teams prepare for the final sprint.

Cameron Meyer stayed close to team captain Gerrans on stage 4.

Mark Renshaw relaxes in the team car prior to stage 4.

Stuart O’Grady chats with legend Eddy Merckx before the decisive stage 5.

The break make their way along Aldinga Beach before the Old Willunga climb.

Alejandro Valverde just edges out Simon Gerrans in front of a packed finish crowd.

One stage to go. Simon Gerrans at the start of stage 6.

Mark Renshaw was keen for a win on the last day, and had his team mates out the front in the remaining laps.

Andre Greipel takes an easy win in the end. He was in his usual early good form once again.

Simon Gerrans has now won the Tour Down Under twice.

An extensive collection of photographs are also available here: www.markgunter.com.au

Sunday’s final stage was raced over 20 laps of a street circuit at Elder Park on the banks of the Torrens River north of the Adelaide CBD. The 90 kilometre finale set off with the air temperature at 37 degrees celsius but the heat from road made racing conditions much hotter.

31 year old Gerrans went into the stage tied on time with Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) but as race leader because of a lower total when the pair’s places on previous stages were tallied. There was also a handful of other riders hoping to improve their positions. But GreenEDGE were up to the challenge and vigilant throughout the stage making sure they covered every move.

“When I was told yesterday that I was getting the leader’s jersey, I didn’t feel any pressure at all, it was just a nice surprise. I knew it would give us a tough job for this last stage, but as it turns out, I can’t be happier,” said Gerran who two weeks ago won the elite men’s road race crown at the nationals. “This is just fantastic. I can’t thank the GreenEdge team enough for this victory.

“We had a tough task today to control Alejandro Valverde who is a classics rider. The last lap was very fast,” said a jubuliant Gerrans whose wife Rahna was in Adelaide to witness his win. “It’s an even sweeter victory than my first one here in 2006. It gives me the opportunity to thank for the first time the Ryan family (GreenEDGE team owners Gerry and Andrew) and (GreenEDGE General Manager) Shayne Bannan for putting this team together. It couldn’t be a better start for us.

“I had Robbie McEwen looking after me (and) that was pretty special since it was his last race in Australia,”said Gerrans of his team mate McEwen who holds the record for the most stage wins in the history of the Santos Tour Down Under, 12. Greipel today notched up his 11th stage win.

“What can I say?” said Greipel after flashing across the line a good bike length clear of Australian Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) and Italian sprint ace Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre). “The team Lotto-Belisol has just been amazing in leading me out to my third win of the week.

“It looks easy but it’s not,”he said. “I was nowhere in the front on GC (overall) this year but I’m happy with the sprint finishes. I always like to come to South Australia. It’s just nice to start the new season here rather than train in Europe.”

Further back in the peloton were Valverde and Gerrans who crossed the line 25th and 27th respectively split only by Gerran’s stage finish pilot McEwen who made sure the Spaniard was well marked.

“I’m just really happy and proud to be part of this team here at the Santos Tour Down Under. I’m not retiring today, that was my last Aussie race officially, but the season’s not done. I am still going to race for another four months after this,” said McEwen. “It’s a fantastic way to go out as far as Australia racing is concerned. I joined the team and was really excited about being a part of the GreenEDGE project racing in an Aussie team, our national team. It was all about winning the jersey and that’s the success for the team, it feels like a personal win to be a part of it.”

Despite not being on the top step of the podium Valverde was satisfied to have won the Tour’s first ever hilltop finish yesterday.

“I am very happy with finishing second in the Santos Tour Down Under,” said Valverde. “The outcome is much better than I expected when I came to Australia. Today was a super fast stage with a bit of wind that made it even more difficult. I’m very happy.”

At the end of the 803km six day event both Gerrans and Valverde remained deadlocked on 20:46:12 but Gerrans’ stage placings added up to a total of 102 and Valverde’s 175 giving the Australian the win.

“I certainly am [happy],” said GreenEDGE Team Director, Matt White, who last year steered Cameron Meyer to victory. “To win the Santos Tour Down Under with our newly crowned National Champion, we couldn’t have written a better script. [I'm] elated, just elated.”

Third place overall went to Portugese rider Tiago Machado (RadioShack-Nissan) who was eight seconds back with Canberra’s Michael Rogers (Sky Pro Cycling) fourth at 14 seconds. On the same time as Rogers in fifth place was 21 year old Rohan Dennis (UniSA-Australia) who recently claimed both the under 23 time trial and road race national titles.

Dennis was in superb form this week to claim the SKODA King of the Mountain classification and the Cycle Instead Best Young Rider (under 26) trophy.

“I wasn’t sure I was actually going to finish this race,” said Dennis explaining the effect on him of the fast start to the stage. “I was pretty happy it slowed down, I think everybody was. With that surge at the start it almost slowed it down and made it a little bit easier towards the end.”

Dennis was also given the Tanya Denver Award as the highest placed South Australian overall.

Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen had hoped to climb higher in the overall rankings today but an attack from Jan Bakelants (RadioShack-Nissan) netted the Belgian some crucial bonus seconds in the Jayco intermediate sprints and pushed Boasson Hagen back to seventh. Bakelants’ audacious attack also saw him named the Hindmarsh Most Aggressive rider of the stage.

But Sky’s Boasson Hagen did hold onto his lead in the Jayco Sprint Classification to claim the trophy with 56 points, six ahead of Greipel.

“I got the jersey but I would like to be more up in the final stage, but I managed to keep the jersey so that’s a good thing,” said Boasson Hagen. “It’s an early start to the season and to be on top form now is difficult. I’m happy to be on OK form and I can still get better.”

The Brilliant Blend Team trophy was awarded to RadioShack-Nissan-Trek who were 24 seconds ahead of Sky ProCycling after the times of the top three ranked riders from each team were tallied.

“We like to win a team GC and on top of that we managed to place Tiago, we are pretty happy with the outcome of the race,” said team captain Jens Voigt.

The final word goes to the man considered the most successful cyclist of all time, Belgian legend Eddy Merckx who was a special guest at this year’s event.

“It was a great race and I will be thanking everybody, everything was great,” said Merckx.

Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo

Valverde (Movistar) stopped the clock at 3:45:48, half a wheel ahead of Gerrans as the pair both lunged for the line at the end of the Tour’s first ever hill top finish. Third across the line, two seconds back, was Tiago Machado (RadioShack-Nissan) with Canberra’s Michael Rogers (Sky) a further two seconds back in fourth place.

“I’m super happy, I can’t believe it,” said Valverde. “My team has been genius, I’ve won thanks to them. It’s an emotional moment for me.

“The stage suited me. We’ve put the team at the front and it’s a perfect comeback for me.”

After the bonus seconds were allocated Valverde and Gerrans were equal on time at the top of the standings but a countback of previous stage placings put Gerrans in the Santos Tour Down Under ochre race leader’s jersey to the delight of GreenEDGE team owner Gerry Ryan, fans and team officials in South Australia to celebrate the debut of the first Australian registered team to race the WorldTour.

“I’m rapt to have the lead going into the last stage. It’s such a big deal for GreenEDGE to take the lead into the last stage in their first WorldTour outing so I’m thrilled and really rapt with the whole team’s performance, they have really supported me all week so I really can’t thank the guys enough.”

Gerrans’ team mate and local legend, Stuart O’Grady, who was named Hindmarsh Most Aggressive rider of the day, was overwhelmed by the atmosphere and support from the crowd of 120,000.

“It was seriously like an end of the Tour de France stage. Look at all the people, the stadium, the finish. I would never have dreamed a bike race to be as big in Australia, let alone Adelaide and the people have been absolutely fantastic,” said O’Grady. “Coming up the hill today, it was like the tour.”

O’Grady was one of six riders in the only serious breakaway of the day that established early in the 151km race that covered three laps from McLaren Vale, through Willunga and out to Aldinga Beach before the final two loops took the race up Old Willunga Hill. Joining O’Grady was Briton Andrew Fenn (Omega Pharma – Lotto), Belgians Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM), and Kristof Goddaert (AG2R La Mondiale), Tasmanian Nathan Haas (Garmin-Barracuda) and the Tour’s first Japanese entrant Takashi Miyazawa (Saxo Bank).

They contested both Jayco intermediate sprints with Goddaert winning the first sprint at Snapper Point (63.4km) and De Gendt the second at 103.4km.

But while the break rode out to a substantial lead early, the teams of the climbers had no intention of letting them stay away. Halfway up Old Willunga Hill for the first SKODA King of the Mountain they were all caught except for Haas who soloed over the top for the points.

“I thought my team mates are in that group so I thought moving out in front just gave them a sit on, and it would put some pressure on the legs of the other teams and I did that but unfortunately two of our riders got dropped and in the end it was only Jack Bauer,” said Haas who was caught on the descent. “It was inevitable …I knew that I didn’t have the legs to make up the climb the second time.”

As the front of the race regrouped the pace stayed high heading through Willunga for the last time with several attacks being launched. But in the end it was a select group of eight who challenged over the final 200 metres for a place on gthe podium.

UniSA-Australia’s Rohan Dennis, who recently claimed both the under 23 time trial and road race national titles, was in super form today and went all out to hold onto his lead in the SKODA King of the Mountain classification. He was third over the climb the first time and fifth on the stage to end the day with 29 points, five clear of De Gendt and Gerrans.

“The only way to do it is to put yourself in the race. I’m a little bit stuffed now but its all worth it in the end. I guess sometimes you need a little bit of form as well to have that confidence to actually go up the front but sometimes it’s just sort of a gut feeling, just sort of hope for the best,” said Dennis who is racing against some of his boyhood idols. “It’s always a bit of a worry because I know how good they actually are. I’m hoping they’re feeling or hurting as much as what I am. I just need to keep sort of positive when your at the front and you just think they’re hurting as much as you, really just stay as positive as possible.”

Dennis is also the top ranked in the Cycle Instead Young Rider (aged under 26) classification sitting five seconds ahead of Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) on the overall rankings and team manager Dave Sanders is thrilled with the way the composite national team has performed this week.

“I’m very proud of these kids [for holding onto the mountain jersey], I mean these are the best riders in the world, I just got them to believe not to be afraid of them, to race them,” said Sanders. “You’ll either get there or you won’t but you can’t (win) if you don’t have a go.”

Boasson Hagen is leading the Jayco Sprint classification on 46 points, 11 clear of two stage winner and previous race leader, Andre Greipel and hopes to hold onto that jersey and move a little higher up the standings from his current place of sixth at 18 seconds.

“My team did a great job and I managed to get up the climb first time so I felt really good,” said Boasson Hagen “(The second time) was really hard for me, so we managed to get over the top, so I’m so happy and the team did a great job today I thought.”

His team mate Rogers is sitting in fourth place overall at 14 seconds after an exhausting effort.

“The whole hill was pretty tough and there was strong head wind. The goal was to get everything out and scrape the bottom of barrel and I did that and I’m really happy,” said Rogers. “I jumped with 400 metres to go and Valverde and Gerrans got on my wheel and went when I blew. But I am really happy and it’s been a long time since I have been able to scrape the bottom of the barrel. It’s a win for myself and I am really happy.”

The leading team in the Brilliant Blend Team competition is RadioShack-Nissan-Trek who have a 24 seconds buffer over Sky ProCycling.

Sunday’s final stage will be contested over 20 laps of a street circuit at Elder Park on the banks of the Torrens River north of the Adelaide CBD. The 90 kilometre finale is set to be a corker with time bonuses up for grabs at the two Jayco intermediate sprints and on the stage finish and several riders in striking distance of the win.

Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo

“It was a difficult finale,” said Freire. “I knew I had a really good chance to win. The race was hard (so) it was better for me.

“I’m happy to score the team’s first victory of the year after joining Katusha,” said Freire who is in his first race for the Russian outfit.

The Santos Tour Down Under ochre leader’s jersey meantime is back on the shoulders of Swiss rider Martin Kohler (BMC) who finished with the lead group of 49 on today’s stage and is a mere two seconds ahead of both Australian Michael Matthews (Rabobank) and Freire who are in second and third place overall respectively.

“I didn’t expect to be back in the lead but we dropped Andre Greipel on the climb and then we were riding hard to make the gap bigger,” said Kohler. “Tomorrow there will be ten or fifteen riders contesting the win at the top of Willunga Hill. It’s going to be very hard and I don’t know if I can keep this lead or not but I’m already happy with what I’m doing here.

“Our team BMC feels at home with all the support we get but of course we are the team of Cadel Evans,” said Kohler noting the popularity of his Tour de France winning Australian team mate.

Canberra’s Matthews was a little disappointed to not be in ochre but was looking on the bright side.

“The jersey I want is ochre and I’ll try to get it tomorrow,” said Matthews. “It’s unfortunate that I missed it today by only two seconds. (But) not having the jersey today takes a lot of pressure off you but it’s also better to be ahead of everyone else.”

The 130km stage began in the suburb of Norwood and headed into the Adelaide Hills before travelling through the vineyards. A few riders tried to go clear early but the sprinters weren’t having any of that because the first of today’s two Jayco intermediate sprints was only 25 kilometres down the road at Kersbrook and bonus seconds were up for grabs. Greipel went hard at the line and nabbed the maximum three seconds with Matthews close behind to shave two seconds off his time.

After the sprint the pace settled and a small break went clear. Australian Jay McCarthy (UniSA-Australia) was in the quartet in front and collected the maximum points on offer at the first SKODA King of the Mountain for the day, a category two climb at Smith Hill (30km). Spaniard Ruben Perez Moreno (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was second over the summit with Frenchman Blel Kadri (AG2R la Mondiale) third and Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) fourth.

Smukulis dropped back to the bunch soon after the climb but the remaining three rode on to contest the second Jayco sprint at Mt Pleasant (51km). This time Perez Moreno claimed the points ahead of Kadri and McCarthy. The lead margin hovered around the two minute mark for the next thirty kilometrees or so but as they approached the Menglers Hill category one climb (107km) they were caught by the bunch.

The capture of the trio triggered a pace increase and up Menglers the hill the tempo split the bunch with a more than a third of the peloton powering clear.

Amongst them was Freire who sailed home to win by a bike length from of Gerald Ciolek (Omega Pharma – Quickstep) (GER) who just edged out Italian Daniele Bennati (RadioShack-Nissan) for second on the line.

The Jayco Points classification is now being led by Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) who collected 12 ponts today for fourth place and sits on 36 points, one ahead of Greipel.

“I just try every day to move up on overall GC. It’s nice to have the sprint jersey,” said Boasson Hagen. “I didn’t expect it but that’s not the one I’m looking for, I want to win the jersey of the overall classification.

“My team mate [Geraint] Thomas gave me a great lead out but I came off his wheel a bit too early. The battle is still very open.”

The SKODA King of the Mountain leader is now newly crowned Australian under 23 road race and time trial champion, Rohan Dennis, (UniSA-Australia) who was first over Menglers today to take his tally to 17 points, five clear of Belgian Thomas De Gendt (Vaconsoleil-DCM).

“I didn’t think that I would lead the King of the Mountain because I only had one point from my breakaway on day one,” said Dennis.  “Tomorrow at the bottom of Willunga it will be all or nothing.”

Kadri was named the Hindmarsh Most Agressive rider of the stage. Sky Pro Cycling is the Brilliant Blend leading team.

The Santos Tour Down Under continues tomorrow with the ‘Queen’ stage. Jayco stage 5 marks the first time the race has finished at the top of a climb with the 151.5km route starting in McLaren Vale and ending atop Old Willunga Hill which the riders will climb twice.

Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
Source: Santos Tour Down Under

“This victory is for Jurgen Roelandts who unfortunately supports us from the hospital,” said Greipel of his team mate who was injured in the crash at the end of the stage into Clare. “We’re nearly three riders down but the rest of the team that is not injured has been awesome today.

The win puts Greipel back into the ochre leader’s jersey with an eight second margin over Swiss rider Martin Kohler (BMC). Australian Michael Matthews (Rabobank) finished with the bunch and remains in third place overall at 12 seconds.

“I’m happy to get back into the lead but the time bonus (10 seconds for the stage win) I got again isn’t important in my mind,” said Greipel who has twice won overall honours but concedes he is unlikely to win a third. “The Willunga stage (Saturday) is too hard for me to win GC this year. With two stage wins, we’ve already reached our goal. We can’t have everything and we just take it day by day.”

The stage today departed from the cosmopolitan shopping hub of Unley for a 134.5km route that took in the breath taking countryside of both the McLaren Vale and the picturesque coastal scenes of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

A group of three went down the road in the first five kilometres made up of Russian Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) and Belgians Jan Bakelants (RadioShack-Nissan-Trek) and Thomas De Gendt (Vaconsoleil-DCM). They were soon joined by Ireland’s Matthew Brammeier (Omega Pharma – Quickstep).

De Gendt was the only rider in the quartet already on the board in the SKODA King of the Mountain competition so, not surprisingly, he hit out up Sellicks Hill Category 2 climb to claim the maximum ten points ahead of Brammeier, Bakelants and Vorganov. That puts De Gendt in the polka dot jersey with a two point lead over yesterday’s stage winner Tasmanian Will Clarke (UniSA-Australia).

The break stretched to a lead of around five minutes but the peloton, after failing to catch Clarke yesterday, judged today’s chase to perfection.

The two Jayco intermediate sprints were hotly contested by the top three placed riders with a maximum of six bonus seconds up for grabs and all within 12 seconds of the race lead. De Gendt proved the swiftest of the trio battling for the points and won the dash for the line at both Mt Compass (65km) and Goolwa (89.4km). By then the margin had shrunk to less than two minutes.

“Three of the four riders (in the break) had the same goal and that was to take the second sprint and then after that we just wanted to go back to the peloton,” said De Gendt.

After the sprint at Goolwa Brammeier tried a solo attack off the front as the peloton reeled in his there fellow escapees and although he held on for a few more kilometres it wasn’t too be his day for victory. Ten kilometres from home the pace was frenetic as the sprinter’s jostled for position.

“It was our intention to keep the breakaway in sight with a good gap. The crosswinds have made the race faster. The one kilometre to go mark was the most important point of today’s stage,” said Greipel. “I told my team-mates ‘I need to be in fifth or sixth position at that point’.They did a great job to put me there and I finished it off.”

De Gendt’s efforts along the road moved him up to fourth overall, 14 seconds off Greipel’s lead.

“The legs are not so good but I will try to attack. I think tomorrow is the best for me just to stay in the peloton and then Old Willunga Hill is going to be so hard but I am going to try and be in the front.”

Matthews still leads the Cycle Intead Best Young Rider under 26 classification but was a little disapointed with today’s finish.

“The boys had a really good lead out for me and I just couldn’t really hold the wheel in the last couple of kilometres,” said Matthews. “It just got a bit messy and Mark Renshaw [Rabobank team mate] held the lead out but I just wasn’t there to finish it.”

Tomorrow’s BUPA Stage 4 travels 130km from Norwood in Adelaide’s eastern suburb’s to Tanunda in the Barossa wine growing region. Stage 4 also hosts the Bupa Challenge Tour with more than seven thousand cycling enthusiasts hopping on their bikes to ride the race route. Joining them on the family friendly Tanunda loop will be cycling legend, Eddy Merckx.

Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
Source: Santos Tour Down Under

As the colourful peloton cuts through heat and wind in the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under in South Australia, Mark Gunter is on location to capture the essence of this race. An important first event for Team GreenEDGE, though against international pro teams, Team UniSA is once again showcasing it’s quality as Will Clark takes the second stage in the Tour Down Under.

In early good form Andre Greipel salutes after winning the Down Under Classic.

The great Eddy Merckx is in town this year.

Andre Greipel once again shows hi s strength by winning the downhill sprint into stage 1.

Stage was had temperatures over 40c!

Stage 1 also had a strong head wind making it a slow stage for the most.

The riders race through the Clare Valley on stage 2.

Martin Kohler on his way to enough time bonuses to be in the leaders jersey.

Will Clarke wins a courageous stage.

Martin Kohler is the new leader coming into stage 3.

Author Profile: Australian sports photographer Mark Gunter has won the Cycling Australia Photographer of the Year for four of the past eight years and his photos regularly appear throughout international press. Mark regularly posts photos from the major races he covers online: Mark Gunter Facebook page.

An extensive collection of photographs are also available here: www.markgunter.com.au

The stage began in Lobethal and wove it’s way through the Adelaide Hills to Stirling. A stage record crowd of 110 thousand enthusiastic fans set themselves up to enjoy the action especially along the 21 kilometre finishing circuit out and back to Stirling which the riders covered three times.

“This is unbelievable really,” said Clarke. “This is the biggest win of my career. It’s my first win in the WorldTour. I knew my form was good.”

26 year old Clarke broke away in the first few kilometres of the stage with Swiss rider Martin Kohler (BMC) and by the 30 kilometre mark they had a lead of more than eight minutes on the peloton.

Kohler, 26, was also in yesterday’s attack and today he had his sights set on the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey. He started the day only four seconds off the pace and outpaced Clarke in both of the day’s Jayco Intermediate sprints, Mt Torrens (23.7km) and Balhannah (62.4km), to collect the maximum six bonus seconds. That proved enough in the end to put him in the race lead with a narrow two second margin from overnight leader, Germany’s, Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol). Matthews second place moves him up to third overall at four seconds.

“It is very cool,” said Kohler. “We had this little funny plan this morning, just go for it, and I am close on the GC (overall) and I tried again and the first attack was the successful one.

“It was a little bit surprising and if no-one was following – why not (attack)?” said Kohler. “It means a lot, because it is my first leader’s jersey and it is one of my favourite days here in Australia, but it is early in the season, so for sure it’s good to be already in good shape, but I know it’s going to be hard for the next stage which is a longer stage, with an uphill finish, which is different and more tough than other years. Its going to be really hard for me to defend the jersey because I think the last two days I have lost a little bit of energy.”

The Swiss rider dropped back to the bunch after claiming his sprint bonuses leaving Clarke in front alone for the final 90 kilometres of the stage.

“He probably thought it was not worth keeping going but the peloton gave me more time and I thought ‘you guys have to chase me hard to catch me’,” said Clarke. “I was dying in the last ten kilometres.

“[Team Manager] Dave [Sanders] was telling me to go for GC but… It’s amazing that a breakaway rider can stay away for so long. It’s sort of my speciality to keep going.”

Clarke started the day 1min50sec off the race lead but the tactic of joining an early attack not only netted him the stage win but he also claimed the SKODA King of the Mountain jersey as the first rider over today’s category two climb at Fox Creek (46.7km). On top of that he is leading the Jayco Sprint classification because of the 15 points he collected for the stage win and the six he claimed in the intermediate sprints behind Kohler.

Tomorrow the race departs from the cosmopolitan shopping hub of Unley for a 134.5km route that takes in the breath taking countryside of both the McLaren Vale and the picturesque coastal scenes of the Fleurieu Peninsula. The finish is in the seaside town of Victor Harbor.

Photo: Santos Tour Down Under / Regallo
Source: Santos Tour Down Under