2017 Tour Down Under

2017 Tour Down Under
2017 UCI World Tour, race 1 of 37
Race details
Dates17–22 January 2017
Stages6
Distance802 km (498.3 mi)
Winning time19h 55' 49"[1]
Results
Winner  Richie Porte (Australia) (BMC Racing Team)
  Second  Esteban Chaves (Colombia) (Orica–Scott)
  Third  Jay McCarthy (Australia) (Bora–Hansgrohe)
Mountains  Thomas De Gendt (Belgium) (Lotto–Soudal)
Youth  Jhonatan Restrepo (Colombia) (Team Katusha–Alpecin)
Sprints  Caleb Ewan (Australia) (Orica–Scott)
  Team UniSA–Australia
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The 2017 Tour Down Under was a road cycling stage race that took place between 17 and 22 January 2017 in and around Adelaide, South Australia. It was the 19th edition of the Tour Down Under and was the first event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.[2][3]

BMC Racing Team rider Richie Porte won the race for the first time, holding the race lead from the second day onwards following his stage win into Paracombe. Porte added a second stage win – the queen stage at Willunga Hill – as he ultimately won the race by 48 seconds ahead of his closest challenger.[4] Orica–Scott's Esteban Chaves finished in second place, having taken third-place finishes in both of the stages won by Porte; third place on the podium was decided on the final day of the race.[5] Jay McCarthy (Bora–Hansgrohe) trailed Nathan Haas of Team Dimension Data by three seconds, but McCarthy was able to win the first intermediate sprint of the day – offering three bonus seconds towards the general classification – after a lead-out from world champion teammate Peter Sagan.[6] With McCarthy and Haas finishing tied on time, the final podium position went to McCarthy on countback.

In the race's other classifications, Chaves' Orica–Scott teammate Caleb Ewan won the sprints classification, winning four of the six stages during the race,[7] becoming the third rider to do so after his compatriot Robbie McEwen in 2002 and André Greipel in 2008,[8] while Thomas De Gendt (Lotto–Soudal) won the mountains classification on the final day,[9] taking points on the first climb of Montefiore Hill to assume the lead from Porte. Colombian Jhonatan Restrepo of Team Katusha–Alpecin was the winner of the young rider classification, finishing in tenth place overall,[10] while the teams classification was won by the only non-UCI WorldTeam in the race, UniSA–Australia.[11]

  1. ^ "General Classification 6" (PDF). MATSport.fr. MATSport Timing. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  2. ^ "UCI expands WorldTour to 37 events". Cycling News. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. ^ "The UCI reveals expanded UCI WorldTour calendar for 2017". UCI. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ^ Robertshaw, Henry (22 January 2017). "Winning the Tour Down Under an 'incredible relief' for Richie Porte". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Tour Down Under: Porte seals overall victory in Adelaide". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Porte prevails to take home the trophy". Tour Down Under. Events South Australia. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Four stage wins, second overall & sprint title for ORICA-SCOTT at Tour Down Under". Orica–Scott. GreenEDGE Cycling. 22 January 2017. Archived from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Richie Porte wins Tour Down Under in first event on 2017 UCI WorldTour". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  9. ^ "KOM jersey for De Gendt at TDU, Valls 7th overall". Lotto–Soudal. Belgian Cycling Company sa. 22 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  10. ^ "White Jersey and 10th overall for Jonathan Restrepo at TDU". Team Katusha–Alpecin. Katusha Management S.A. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Homfray, Reece (22 January 2017). "UniSA stuns rich and fancied rivals at 2017 Tour Down Under". Geelong Advertiser. News Corp. Retrieved 22 January 2017.