Tour Down Under thread (21st - 26th) - Use spoiler tags until midnight!

Darkglasses

Good preview here

Simon Gerrans the favourite for the overall.

Delighted to see Europcar make it's debut as a full world-team team this year

First stage is 3 laps of slightly undulating course, with a gentle climb towards the end. Enough to put Greipel into trouble I'd say, could suit Gerrans, but I still suspect Kittel will be up there. Caleb Ewan always a good outside bet for this race.

Darkglasses

Also, happy days, the road racing is back!

Darkglasses

Relatively chilly for Adelaide today, mid 20s only. Pace is mental

Beasty

Website here

YouTube channel with various videos from the stage here

ZiabR

Darkglasses wrote: »

Also, happy days, the road racing is back!

So looking forward to the UCI Road calendar this year. Do you guys know if Eurosport are covering this? They covered 70% of races last year.

Beasty

It's on Sky Sports

Dcully

Was hoping Eurosport would have coverage,i got rid of sky.

Darkglasses

Stage 1 results (spoilers within) - http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-1/results

ZiabR

Yeah dont have sky sports myself either, but eurosport will have highlights i hope.

Rambling Man

logik wrote: »

Yeah dont have sky sports myself either, but eurosport will have highlights i hope.

Nope, no sign of it here:

http://tv.eurosport.co.uk/tvschedule.shtml

Zyzz

Good race overall! Gutted for Andre

Darkglasses

Use spoiler tags til midnight!

ZiabR

Rambling Man wrote: »

Nope, no sign of it here:

http://tv.eurosport.co.uk/tvschedule.shtml

Well that sucks! Has their coverage schedule changed this year? I watch Vuelta, Giro, Poland, Eneco etc on Eurosport last year.

Chips Lovell

I don't recall it ever being on Eurosport.

Beasty

Sky have certainly been doing the TDU for a few years now (think they started when they set the team up)

ZiabR

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

I don't recall it ever being on Eurosport.

This tour or any tour?

Chips Lovell

The Tour Down Under

ZiabR

Thanks for that.

Darkglasses

Stage 2 Spoilers -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4VHRJxufQ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqABuEfo3w

ZiabR

Cheers for the videos!

godtabh

It would appear that Deignan is doing well

eoz

Watching it on sky now. Ads every two minutes!!

Darkglasses

Gerrans in trouble in the main group on Corkscrew. Porte and Cadel to capitalize

Darkglasses

Cadel looks very strong, great to see

Darkglasses

That was brilliant racing, great to see Cadel at the heart of it too. Cadel takes the stage after a stunning climb of Corkscrew and an even better descent.

TheBlaaMan

TDU was on Eurosport in 2012. It was Valverdes' comeback performance in the queen stage that sticks in my mind......remember where he pipped Gerrans in the sprint after the steep uphill ??

ZiabR

Darkglasses wrote: »

That was brilliant racing, great to see Cadel at the heart of it too. Cadel takes the stage after a stunning climb of Corkscrew and an even better descent.

That is great, fair play!

Darkglasses

Stage 3 spoilers -

GCN round-up video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAXI0R1iGRQ

Dcully

Kinda surprising to see Cadel leave Porte behind there, Cadel seemed to be getting into the twilight of his career last year, great to see him doing well

ZiabR

Yeah, it did look as though Porte had nothing left in the tank, he was really struggling. Credit to Cadel though, age is nothing in Cycling, sure look at Chris Horner!

pelevin

I don't care how often anyone tries to explain it to me, I'll never understand why they're cycling upside-down in January in the middle of the night.

Rambling Man

pelevin wrote: »

I don't care how often anyone tries to explain it to me, I'll never understand why they're cycling upside-down in January in the middle of the night.

Its not even a Tour of Down Under (which would be tricky) rather a few excursions from Adelaide. However Evans really wetted the appetite for the season ahead with his wonderful effort over Corkscrew. Great racing.

Darkglasses

Gerrans has won the first intermediate sprint

Darkglasses

Sorry, not allowed post streams on Boards.ie

Rambling Man

Darkglasses wrote: »

Sorry, not allowed post streams on Boards.ie

Ah sorry, was not aware. Can see why.

Darkglasses

No problem!

Will give this stage a miss I think, save my strength so I can watch the Willunga stage

ZiabR

Darkglasses wrote: »

No problem!

Will give this stage a miss I think, save my strength so I can watch the Willunga stage

Yeah, cant blame ya! On another note, delighted cycling is back on tv! 2014 is going to be a good year. Anyone think Quintana is in with a shout for Tour De France?

Rambling Man

Stage 4 round-up, obvious spoilers included. My attempts to watch a bit of it live fell victim to sleep!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8rzne1uCxA

Beasty

logik wrote: »

Anyone think Quintana is in with a shout for Tour De France?

Nope!

(as I believe he's riding the Giro instead;))

Darkglasses

I really like the footage from this race, static cameras with a wide open view at road level really give a good impression of just how fast they are going. You nearly never see footage like that at European races.

Morrisseeee

You can follow Robert Gesink on Strava

Darkglasses

Serious bit of stage today

Darkglasses

Things going pretty much spot on for Cadel at the moment. OGE need to make a play

Craig06

Excellent finish, Porte really stretched his legs and blew the competition away. Advantages of working the night shift is getting to see it live

dastardly00

A two-hour highlights show is starting on Sky Sports at 12pm.

Inquitus

Morrisseeee wrote: »

You can follow Robert Gesink on Strava

Are his HR zones wrong?

finishing 4th

on the stage and not even going into the red.

http://www.strava.com/activities/108736219/heartrate

dastardly00

just watching highlights programme.... go Jens!!!

Inquitus

Richie rides away from them all, if the climb were longer he'd be in ochre. Deignan caught out in the split. Stannard is some machine.

Darkglasses

GCN's stage 5 report

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSzRug0hXY4

Inquitus

gotta love Jens

Darkglasses

GC as it stands:

1. Gerrans
2. Evans @ 1 sec
3. Ulissi @ 5 sec
4. Porte @ 10 sec
5. Haas @ 27 sec