Thursday 22 January 2015 12:32, UK
Rohan Dennis surged into the overall lead of the Santos Tour Down Under by climbing to victory on stage three in Paracombe.
The 24-year-old Australian, of BMC Racing, was initially riding in support of Cadel Evans but powered past his team-mate and the other members of a select front group with an attack 500m from the finish and could not be caught.
He crossed the line three seconds ahead of runner-up Evans and third-placed Tom Dumoulin, of Giant-Alpecin, with Team Sky’s Richie Porte following another two seconds later in sixth.
Having picked up ten bonus seconds to Evans’ six, Dennis now leads his compatriot by seven seconds in the general classification, while Dumoulin is nine seconds adrift in third and Porte 15 seconds back in fourth.
Dennis admitted afterwards that he had not followed his team’s plan.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect to have that finish,” he said. “The plan was for me to attack at the bottom [of the final climb] and put Richie and [Domenico] Pozzovivo and a couple of other riders under pressure, and let Cadel just sit back. I was a bit too far back [at the bottom] to follow that plan.
"Cadel is still in my eyes the leader and I’m going respect that. I’m not sure how the team meeting is going to go, but we are still both protected. He gave me the thumbs up and a handshake, which is probably the most positive thing he could say to me because he's a man of little words."
The 143.2km stage had been expected to be a battle between Evans and Porte and when the former led the peloton on to the 1.2km, category-one final climb of Torrens Hill Road, it looked like that fight would materialise.
The pair quickly became part of a four-man lead group also containing Pozzovivo, of Ag2r-La Mondiale, and Dumoulin, but as they began to mark each other, they slowed down and allowed the chasing pack to close back in.
Dennis powered past the leading quartet with an electric acceleration just as the climb reached its summit and then stretched out his advantage on the 400m of false flat to the line.
Dumoulin looked like he would take second place after setting off in lone pursuit, only for Evans to rally and beat him on the line as Porte wilted behind.
Dennis takes over in the leader’s ochre jersey from Jack Bobridge, who was dropped early in the final climb and finished 42 seconds down in 29th.
Dennis, who like Bobridge will attempt to break the hour record in the coming weeks, must now defend his lead on Friday’s fourth stage to Mt Barker and Saturday’s summit finish on Willunga Hill.
He added: “There is still Willunga, Mt Barker and that last crit, so there is still solid racing to come.”
1 Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing, 3:35:08
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing, +3secs
3 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, same time
4 Maxime Bouet (Fra) Etixx – Quick-Step, +5
5 Mick Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo, st
6 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, st
7 Jack Haig (Aus) Uni SA, st
8 Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Movistar, st
9 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r-La Mondiale, st
10 Simon Geschke (Ger) Giant-Alpecin, +13
1 Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing, 10:17:06
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing, +7secs
3 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, +9
4 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, +15
5 Jack Haig (Aus) Uni SA, same time
6 Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Movistar, st
7 Mick Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo, st
8 Maxime Bouet (Fra) Etixx – Quick-Step, st
9 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r-La Mondiale, st
10 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica-GreenEdge, +22
Highlights of stage three will be shown on Sky Sports 1HD at 8am and 12pm, and then again on Sky Sports 3HD at 7.30pm. Watch stage four live on Sky Sports 1HD on Friday from 3am.
