Hopes high for all Australian team
January 26 2008
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Stage 5 Willunga to Willunga held high hopes for Team UniSA and didn’t
disappoint the 85,000 fans and Australia Day celebrators alike as the
sprint to the finish came down to the wire.
Traditionally the high-paced decider stage for the Tour Down Under, the 147km track saw three laps through McLaren Vales vineyards and along the Fleurieu Peninsula’s picturesque coast before the king of the mountain Old Willunga Hill climb just 20km before the finish line.
Going into the race Team UniSA’s Allan Davis, or “Alby” as he’s known to his teammates, sat seven seconds behind tour leader Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole) and third in the overall general classification.
And while the nailbiting finish saw Alby pipped by German Andre Griepel for the stage jersey, it saw him move to second place in the tour.
Davis says he’s happy with the way the team rode today and the race is far from over.
“We’ve got 88km to go yet and we’ll be fighting to the last centimetre,” Davis said.
“We’ve had a stage win so far and if we pull the overall off … even if we stay second… it’s still an awesome tour for (Australia) UniSA.
“We’re here to win and we’ll sit down tonight with Davo (Team Director Dave Sanders) and talk through a few tactics.
“On the day is when it really counts and as long as we go down fighting.”
A cracking pace was held by a breakaway for 90km of the race, but the peloton closed the space at the 114km mark, not long before the famous power Willunga hill climb.
Team UniSA kept to the front of the peleton through the race, keeping the pressure up to the very end and supporting Davis in his quest to win the Ochre jersey.
Team UniSA team director Dave Saunders says he is very pleased with the boys performance.
“We had a very good day, better than what the results show,” Saunders said.
“We had four guys in the front of the group throughout the day and they were the ones who made the difference and really drove the race. They opened the gap up.
“Unfortunately we didn’t shake German rider Andre Griepel, but we held back the tour leader.”
Ochre jersey wearing Mark Renshaw placed 50th in the stage, coming in 56 seconds after Griepel.
“The boys did a fantastic job, they were committed and I couldn’t be happier with the effort and work they put in,” Saunders said.
“There is still a chance for the team to win the tour, it’s going to be tough, but it is still possible.”