Santos Tour Down Under favourites: Simon Gerrans the bookmakers' tip
Wednesday 20 January 2016 09:08, UK
Some of the biggest names in professional cycling have travelled to Australia to challenge for victory at the Santos Tour Down Under from Tuesday, January 19, to Sunday, January 24.
Last year's winner, Rohan Dennis, is back to defend his title, but he is set to face stern competition from various climbers, all-rounders, fellow Australians and even a team-mate.
Sky Sports will be screening all six stages of the race live and, here, we pick out the leading favourites for the ochre jersey…
Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge)
The 35-year-old Australian is a three-time former winner of the Santos Tour Down Under and the bookmakers' favourite for this year's race.
He could struggle to keep pace with the likes of Richie Porte (see below) on the potentially crucial uphill finish on Willunga Hill on stage five, but he should make up for any losses he sustains through time bonuses in the earlier stages.
The fact that Gerrans can sprint on both flat and punchier finishes means he is likely to be in and around the top three on every stage and the time bonuses will consequently soon mount up.
Richie Porte (BMC Racing)
Porte is arguably the best climber in the race and has won on Willunga Hill in each of the past two years. However, he wasn't able to gain enough time on his rivals to seal overall victory on either occasion and ended up finishing fourth in 2014 and second in 2015.
The 30-year-old Australian comes into this year's race with pretty much an identical gameplan and will once again be the man to beat on the key stage, so it's just a question of how much of a gap he can open up on his rivals, and also if he can compete for time bonuses on the rolling stages earlier in the race.
Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing)
Dennis won last year's edition thanks largely to an opportunistic stage victory on the race's first uphill finish and then a defiant defensive performance on the second.
Against the all-round talents of Gerrans and the climbing prowess of Porte, he will have his work cut out to retain his title, but a comprehensive victory over the latter in the Australian national time-trial championship earlier in January suggests he goes into the race in fine form.
Sergio Henao (Team Sky)
Like BMC Racing, Team Sky start the Santos Tour Down Under with two potential leaders in Henao and Geraint Thomas (see below).
Henao is the more natural climber of the two and is likely to be challenging for the stage win on Willunga Hill, but he is also a punchy rider who flourishes on short and sharp ascents, so he could pick up time on the preceding rolling stages.
Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida)
Ulissi is a punchy climber who finished third overall at the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under after putting himself in contention with a victory on stage two and a third place on stage three.
The 26-year-old Italian will consequently be delighted to see that those same finishes are once again being used on stages two and three this year, so don't be surprised to see him in or very close to the leader's ochre jersey at the halfway point of this week's race.
The question then will be how he fares on Willunga Hill, but three stage victories at the Giro d'Italia in the past two years suggest he shouldn't be too far off the pace.
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)
Thomas' credentials are tricky to gauge. He has the ability to win this race, but his lack of a fast finish on flat and rolling stages means he will have to compensate with significant gains on Willunga Hill if he is to claim the ochre jersey.
Whether he has the form to produce that is an unknown. While Gerrans, Porte and Dennis have already raced at the Australian national championships this month, the Tour Down Under is Thomas' first outing since last summer's Vuelta a Espana.
He may also end up riding in support of Henao rather than for himself, but Thomas is nevertheless a rider rival teams will be keeping a close eye on.
Also keep an eye out for…
Ruben Fernandez: The Spaniard was fifth last year and has the backing of a strong Movistar team.
Domenico Pozzovivo: The tiny Italian climber could be a factor on Willunga Hill if he has good form.
Rein Taaramae: The improving Estonian won two stage races last year.
