Caleb Ewan of Mitchelton Scott is the new leader of the Santos Tour Down Under.
Lotto Soudal’s Andre Greipel was in the Ochre jersey for the start of the second 148.8km stage from Umley to Stirling which saw KOM leader Nicholas Dlamini of Dimension Data, Will Clarke of EF Education and Scott Bowden who were all in the break on stage one getting away again.
This time they were joined by Jaime Castrillo of Movistar and they were 4.10 ahead after eight kilometres.
Bowden punctured as they contested the Tea Tree Gully Hill climb after 12.8kms and up came Dlamini to take the points and keep himself in the KOM jersey for another day.
With the gap at 4.20, Dlamini dropped back to the peloton on a day where temperatures were around the 36-degree mark.
The heat ensured that the gap extended to 6.30 as Will Clarke took the first sprint of the day at Oakbank after 45.9kms ahead of Castrillo.
Bora Hansgrohe’s Sam Bennett needed a new bike as Clarke took the second sprint in Mylor after 77.3kms ahead of Bowden in a race which was now twenty- five minutes behind schedule.
Clarke was now the virtual leader on the road as Castrillo broke away away with the Spaniard 1.15 ahead of Clarke and Bowden and 3.15 ahead of the peloton.
Into Stirling for the first of three closing laps and the 21-year old Castrillo was still out in front with a lead of 3.30 after Clarke and Bowden dropped back to the peloton.
Onto lap two and the gap was down to 2.10 before a crash took down FDJ’s Steve Moribito who had his should popped back into place and carried on.
Coming through Sterling for a third time and the gap was at a minute for Castillo was named as the most competitive rider of the day.
With 13.9kms left, Castrillo was caught by the peloton and EF Education got four riders on the front whilst the race leader Andre Greipel was in trouble at the rear of the peloton.
Through Aldgate with 2.5kms to go and the peloton was decreasing and it was a bunch which contested the sprint that Calab Ewan of Mitchelton Scott won in 4.03.55, ahead of Darryl Impey, Jay McCarthy and Peter Sagan.
With Greipel finishing 104th, 7.21 down, the win means Caleb Ewan leads the race by ten seconds from Darryl Impey and twelve seconds from Peter Sagan and has a lead in the sprint competition.
KEV MONKS FOR DIGITAL SPORTS GROUP
Source: DSG
