Showing posts with label Orica Greenedge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orica Greenedge. Show all posts

Friday, 31 January 2014

Gerrans Bikes Treble Downunder

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Australia's Simon Gerrans beat Cadel Evans by one second to win a record third Tour Down Under in Adelaide.

Gerrans, who took the race lead on the penultimate stage, finished alongside compatriot Evans after a bunch sprint on the final stage to wrap up victory.

He said: "This is an Australian team, on Australia Day, in a World Tour event. What else could I ask for?"

Germany's Andre Greipel won the sixth stage while Britain's Geraint Thomas was eighth in the overall standings.

Thomas, who finished third last year, told BBC Sport before this year's race that he would be trying to help his Australian Team Sky team-mate Richie Porte to victory.

Porte won Saturday's fifth stage to climb to fourth overall - a position he maintained in Sunday's final race by finishing in the main bunch.

Orica Greenedge rider Gerrans, who won the race in 2006 and 2012, also crossed the line in the peloton.

He had won the first stage of the race but lost the lead to Evans on stage three before regaining the leaders' ochre jersey on stage five.

"It's been a hard race for me and my team-mates," continued Gerrans.

"I was confident in my team-mates to take me home safely, which they did. Until I crossed the line, I suspected that Diego Ulissi would try and do something, but it went all right."

Italy's Ulissi finished third overall, five seconds adrift.

Greipel won the sprint on the final stage, edging out Australia's Mark Renshaw, with his British Omega Pharma - QuickStep team-mate Andrew Fenn third.


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Sunday, 4 August 2013

Wiggins Wins Polish Time Trial

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Sir Bradley Wiggins signalled a return to form with a hugely impressive win in the 37km time trial at the Tour of Poland.

The Brit, who won the Tour de France and Olympic time trial in 2012, recorded a time of 46 minutes and 36 seconds.

He smashed his nearest rival Fabian Cancellara, a four-time world time trial champion, by 56 seconds.

It was the final stage of the week-long race.

The Tour of Poland, now in its 70th year, had been the Team Sky rider's first competitive action since he withdrew part way through the Giro d'Italia in May.

He was unable to defend his Tour de France title, won by Team Sky's Chris Froome, because of a knee injury but his performance in his specialist discipline showed he was back to his best on an undulating course as he recorded his first win of the 2013 season.

"It was a fantastic performance," said Team Sky sports director Dan Hunt. "It was a real lesson in how to time trial. We went out this morning and researched the course and it was obvious that it suited Brad.

"The climbs suited him, the descents suited him and then it was a flying, rolling run-in into Krakow. He absolutely smashed it."

Wiggins is next due to compete in the Eneco Tour in Holland, from 12-18 August. He will then race in the Tour of Britain (15-22 September) with his main focus being the individual time trial at the Road World Championships on 25 September, which are being held in Florence in Italy.

In Poland he was performing mainly domestique duties for Team Sky team-mate Sergio Henao, who was third last year, but finished fifth after the seven stages this time around.

The Netherlands' Pieter Weening, of Orica Greenedge, was the overall winner after a superb time trial. He was 27 seconds behind leader Christophe Riblon before the start of the final stage but overhauled that deficit to win by 13 seconds.

Results of stage seven from Wieliczka to Krakow, 37 km
1. Bradley Wiggins (Britain / Team Sky) 46:36"
2. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland / RadioShack) +56"
3. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / BMC Racing) +1:14"
4. Marco Pinotti (Italy / BMC Racing) +1:20"
5. Kristof Vandewalle (Belgium / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) +1:40"
6. Pieter Weening (Netherlands / Orica) +1:44"
7. Jon Izagirre (Spain / Euskaltel) +2:05"
8. Dominik Nerz (Germany / BMC Racing) +2:13"
9. Sergey Chernetsky (Russia / Katusha) +2:15"
10. Rafal Majka (Poland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +2:17"

Final General Classification:
1. Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge)
2. Jon Izaguirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) at 13"
3. Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale) at 16"
4. Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff) at 26"
5. Sergio Henao (Sky Procycling) at 51"
6. Eros Capecchi (Movistar)
7. Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale)
8. Ivan Basso (Cannondale)
9. Tanel Kangert (Astana)
10. Chris Anker Sörensen (Saxo-Tinkoff)


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