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Alejandro Valverde has marked his comeback from a two year doping suspension by winning an uphill sprint versus Australian Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge) on Old Willunga Hill in the queen stage of the Santos Tour Down Under. Although Valverde and Gerrans are equal on time at the top of the GC, Gerrans noses ahead and wears the ochre jersey via a countback of previous placings. Radioshack-Nissan’s Portuguese rider Tiago Machado currently occupies the third step of the podium after a strong performance from with squad. Valverde’s team Movistar says it won’t contest the GC on the last day’s criterium in Adelaide.

Valverde returns to cycling after a two year suspension for blood doping. He was officially suspended in June 2010, with his results going back to January of that year annulled. This means that his last official victory was the 2009 Vuelta a Espana, where he finished ahead of Sammy Sanchez and Cadel Evans on the podium. Valverde turns 33 in April and still has a couple of productive seasons ahead of him.

With Simon Gerrans on top heading into the final day’s crit, new team GreenEdge is poised to add to its winning early season. Allan Davis and Melissa Hopkins already won the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic earlier this month. The team is packed with talented Aussies on both the men’s and women’s squads. Canadians Svein Tuft and Christian Meier may get their first races in February’s Tours of Oman and Qatar.

Ryder Hesjedal sits 35th on GC, 3:41 in arrears.