Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) surged past Peter Sagan to win the second stage of the Tour Down Under and claim the ochre leader’s jersey in the Adelaide Hills town of Stirling on Wednesday.
In a thrilling finish on the uphill climb into Stirling, Ewan clung to Sagan’s wheel and pulled out with 100 metres to go, finishing too strongly for the Slovakian, who came in fourth behind Ewan, Daryl Impey and Jay McCarthy at the season-opening event.
Ewan’s 10-second time bonus puts him into the leader’s jersey, replacing Andre Greipel, who was dropped from the peloton when the climb began, six kilometres from the finish line.
“It was a super tough finish and it was one that we were all so unsure about whether we’d make it over the top,” Ewan said.
“But the boys put me in a perfect position again and they backed me 100 percent even after some results that we weren’t hoping for.
“So for them to back me on a stage that probably doesn’t even suit me, it means a lot.”
?? CALEB CRACKS SAGAN ??
You little ripper ?? @CalebEwan has just blitzed world champion @petosagan on the line to win Stage 2!!!#TDU pic.twitter.com/dy6igT9rRM
— Santos Tour Down Under ?? (@tourdownunder) January 17, 2018
Tour Down Under 2018 – stage 2 results (Unley – Stirling):
| 1 | Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) | 4:03:55 |
| 2 | Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) | ,, |
| 3 | Jay McCarthy (Bora-hansgrohe) | ,, |
| 4 | Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) | ,, |
| 5 | Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) | ,, |
| 6 | Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) | ,, |
| 7 | Gorka Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) | ,, |
| 8 | Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida) | ,, |
| 9 | Luis Leon Sánchez (Astana) | ,, |
| 10 | Carlos Barbero (Movistar) | ,, |
General classification after stage 2:
| 1 | Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) | 7:54:00 |
| 2 | Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) | +10” |
| 3 | Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) | +12” |
| 4 | Jay McCarthy (Bora-hansgrohe) | ,, |
| 5 | Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) | +15” |
| 6 | Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha-Alpecin) | ,, |
| 7 | Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) | +16” |
| 8 | Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates) | +10” |
| 9 | Carlos Barbero (Movistar) | ,, |
| 10 | Anthony Roux (Groupama-FDJ) | ,, |
