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Hat trick for Ewan in Stage 4 of Tour Down Under

Porte retains ochre jersey before Saturday's Willunga Hill showdown

Caleb Ewan (Australia/Orica-Scott) won his third stage of the 2017 Tour Down Under Friday from a hotly contested bunch sprint in Campbelltown. Peter Sagan was runner-up to Ewan for the second stage in a row. Richie Porte and his ochre leader’s jersey finished safely in the bunch.

As on Thursday, the riders had a neutralized climb after the start in Norwood before the action kicked off. The sole KOM point came early on Checker Hill Road. In the finale the road descended with some turns and then some ripples in the last 3-km. The final turn in Campbelltown was just before the red kite and the road kicked up in the final 300-metres to the line.


A flurry of attacks couldn’t force a breakaway. Finally, a trio shook loose and lit out for the KOM point. Bahrain-Merida’s Czech former mountain biker Ondrej Cink bolted to take the prize.


Fugitive Jack Bauer (New Zealand), now with Quick Step after two years with Cannondale, led through the day’s first intermediate sprint at the 37-km mark. The trio never took more than 2:30 from the peloton, and Cameron Meyer (Australia/UniSA-Australia) nosing through the second intermediate sprint with 58-km to go meant that there were spoils for all three on their excursion.

Cink sat up as three riders tried to bridge. One of the bridgers flatted and this took the wind out of the remaining duo’s sails. Orica-Scott and Bora-Hansgrohe did the yeoman’s work in bringing back the escapees. Bauer would be the last to be collared, descending ahead of the Dimension Data-led pack toward Campbelltown. The catch came with 4-km left.

Sky, Quick Step and Katusha came forward but LottoNL-Jumbo grabbed the reins under 3-km to the line. Cannondale had Michael Woods protected. Daryl Impey led out Ewan who took the hat trick, coming around Sky’s Danny Van Poppel. Sagan couldn’t find the legs to catch him.

Michael Woods placed 11th and is 16th on GC, 33-seconds back.

Saturday is the grand GC showdown on Willunga Hill.

2017 Santos Tour Down Under Stage 4
1) Caleb Ewan (Australia/Orica-Scott) 3:45:19
2) Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Bora-Hansgrohe) s.t.
3) Danny Van Poppel (The Netherlands/Sky) s.t.
11) Michael Woods (Canada/Cannondale-Drapac) s.t.

2017 Santos Tour Down Under GC

1) Richie Porte (Australia/BMC) 14:20:18
2) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-Scott) +0:22
3) Jay McCarthy (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:24
16) Michael Woods (Canada/Cannondale-Drapac) +0:33