Viviani nets first victory for Quick-Step Floors at Tour Down Under

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Elia Viviani

Elia Viviani was the man of the day in the Tour Down Under, capitalizing Caleb Ewan’s moment of hesitation on the way to a maiden stage victory at the Australian World Tour race.

It was the hottest day of this year’s Tour Down Under, with temperatures hitting 47 degrees, and for that very reason the organizers decided to reduce the stage between Glenelg and Victor Harbor by 26 kilometers.

Despite the scorching heat, three riders broke clear from the outset of the stage and enjoyed a three-minute buffer before the peloton pegged them back one by one, with the catch being made on the final lap of the Victor Harbor circuit.

Michael Mørkøv dropped off Viviani with 200 meters to go and the Italian blasted past race leader Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) despite the ground he had to make, taking a convincing victory by two bike lengths.

“Today it was very hot and that only made the stage harder. For that matter, it was very important to keep hydrating and make sure there’s some energy left in the tank for the final 200 meters. The guys did a perfect job today and I want to thank them for helping me get this win. The victory is important not only for the confidence, but also because it shows that I had a good winter preparation”, said Elia Viviani.

 

Tour Down Under 2018 – stage 3 results (Glenelg – Victor Harbor):

1Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)

3:04:40

2Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb

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3Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott)

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4Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates)

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5Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe)

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6Simon Clarke (EF Education First-Drapac)

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7Alex Edmondson (Mitchelton-Scott)

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8Zakkari Dempster (UniSA-Australia)

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9Dries Devenyns (Quick-Step Floors)

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10Jay McCarthy (Bora-hansgrohe)

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General classification after stage 3:

1Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott)

10:58:36

2Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)

+10”

3Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott)

+14”

4Jay McCarthy (Bora-hansgrohe)

+15”

5Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe)

+16”

6Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin)

+17”

7Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha-Alpecin)

+19”

8Simone Consonni (UAE Team Emirates)

+20”

9Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo)

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10Anthony Roux (Groupama-FDJ)

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