Lampre-Merida’s Diego Ulissi realized again a top performance in Tour Down Under, obtaining the 2th place in the key stage of Willunga Hill.
On the summit arrival (151 km after the start from McLaren Vale), Lampre’s captain fought in the head position, reaching the arrival at 10″ to the winner Porte, while Gerrans is leader of the classification..
Ulissi can be happy, because he’s still 3rd in the overall ranking, at 5″ to Gerrans and 4″ to the second place of Evans. Porte is 4th at 5″ to Ulissi.
“Today stage was demanding, all the most talented cyclists tried to hit the target and to improve their positions in the overall classification,” Ulissi explained. “That’s why I’m satisfied: I was there in the head of the race, fighting again for a top result and I realized a very good performance.
“I preferred to manage the energies, so I did not reply when Evans attacked in the early part of the climb: the efforts made Cadel be less brilliant in the final meters, while I could perform a good sprint.
“It it’s important not to lose concentration in the final stage, whose profile could seem simple, but that will be raced in an intense way by all the top classification riders”.
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.