Impey wins the 2019 Tour Down Under as Porte takes Willunga

20 January 2019 04:20
Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) claimed his sixth straight win on Willunga Hill on stage 6 of the 2019 Tour Down Under as Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) became the first rider in the race's history to retain his crown. Porte attacked several times on the final ascent, first to battle back and catch Wout Poels (Team Sky) and then to push clear inside the final 600 meters. Impey, just as he did in 2018, paced his effort perfectly to finish just a few bike lengths behind Porte and Poels. Overnight race leader Patrick Bevin (CCC Team) battled through the stage but was dropped on the first ascent of Willunga Hill, clearly suffering the effects of his stage 5 crash. In the battle for the overall, Impey finished clear of Porte by 13 seconds, with Poels rounding out the podium four seconds later.ADVERTISEMENT Impey came into the final stage seven seconds down on Bevin, and the favourite to retain his overall crown after the CCC rider crashed the previous day. Impey was paced up the final climb by his teammates and although he was put under pressure from Poels, Porte and Michael Woods, he battled back in the final few hundred meters as the incline eased. "It's a hard race for someone like me to win, with just one uphill finish but I came here with my new team and the boys were fantastic all week and today," Porte said at the finish. "Hats off to Daryl Impey but to win on Willunga for a sixth time is a great feeling. It's a great way to start the year with a new team." Watch video highlights from Willunga Hill 2019 Tour Down Under race tech Tour Down Under 2019 WorldTour tech gallery Michael Valgren's BMC Teammachine SLR01 Disc — gallery New lace up shoes from Rapha seen at Tour Down Under Unreleased POC helmet at Tour Down Under New lightweight Specialized climbing shoe spotted at the Tour Down Under A close look at SRAMs new 12-speed eTap groupset Ewan's 2019 Ridley Noah Fast - Gallery EF Education First aim to 'disrupt' pro peloton with bright pink kit - Gallery Early break as Bevin fades Porte's joy of six You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article

Source: Cycling News