Share

McCarthy takes win Down Under

Adelaide - Australia's Jay McCarthy claimed his biggest win as a professional when he took a thrilling second stage of the Tour Down Under in the South Australian town of Stirling on Wednesday.

McCarthy, from the Tinkoff team, beat Italian Diego Ulissi (Lampre Merida) by a matter of centimetres as both lunged for the line at the end of the 132km stage, finishing in 3:26.40.

The 23-year-old Queenslander will wear the ochre leader's jersey in Thursday's third stage, taking it from sprinter Caleb Ewan, who fell off the back of the peloton towards the finish.

Race favourite Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEdge) was caught up in a crash inside the final kilometre just moments after he put himself in a perfect position to take the stage win.

But there were no such worries for McCarthy, who avoided the trouble then surged inside the 300 metres.

Ulissi, who won the Stirling stage in 2014, came hard at McCarthy but the Australian dug deep and just managed to hold on.

"I've been eyeing off this stage for a few years now and before the start I was hoping I'd get my chance," McCarthy said.

"The team sat down before the race and said they would support me today and I'm just glad I could do it for them."

The race, which began in the inner-city Adelaide suburb of Unley, saw Lotto-Soudal's Adam Hansen break away and get his lead out to two minutes on the first of five undulating 21km circuits around Stirling in the Adelaide Hills.

But he was reeled in with 19km to go and the peloton stayed together until close to the 8km uphill run to the finish.

Team Sky attacked first trying to put Welshman Geraint Thomas into prime position but they went too early and couldn't maintain the pace.

Movistar and Cannondale also tried to bring their riders forward but the pace set by Sky had taken its toll and the peloton was strung out with 2km to go.

Gerrans said later that he and team-mate Daryl Impey were uninjured despite being caught up in the fall.

"We were perfectly placed, that's just so unlucky," Gerrans said.

Results after the 132km second stage of the UCI Tour Down Under from Unley to Stirling in South Australia on Wednesday:

1. Jay McCarthy (AUS/Tinkoff) 3hr 26min 40sec

2. Diego Ulissi (ITA/Lampre-Merida) same time

3. Rohan Dennis (AUS/BMC Racing) s.t.

4. Danilo Wyss (SUI/BMC Racing) s.t.

5. Petr Vakoc (CZE/Etixx-Quickstep) s.t.

6. Patrick Bevin (NZL/Cannondale) s.t.

7. Juan Jose Lobato (ESP/Movistar) s.t.

8. Sergio Henao (COL/Team Sky) s.t.

9. Anthony Roux (FRA/FDJ) s.t.

10. Enrico Battaglin (ITA/Lotto NL-Jumbo) s.t.

General Classification

1. Jay McCarthy (AUS/Tinkoff) 6hr 50.43min

2. Diego Ulissi (ITA/Lampre-Merida) at 4 seconds

3. Simon Gerrans (AUS/ORICA GreenEDGE) +5sec

4. Rohan Dennis (AUS/BMC Racing) +6sec

5. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (RSA/Team Dimension Data) +9sec

6. Patrick Bevin (NZL/Cannondale) +10sec

7. Enrico Battaglin (ITA/Lotto NL-Jumbo) s.t.

8. Juan Jose Lobato (ESP/Movistar) s.t.

9. Anthony Roux (FRA/FDJ) s.t

10. Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE/Giant-Alpecin) s.t.

King of the Mountain

1. Manuele Boaro (ITA/Tinkoff) 10 pts

2. Sean Lake (AUS/UniSA) 10 pts

3. Patrick Lane (AUS/UniSA) 6 pts

Sprint

1. Caleb Ewan (AUS/ORICA GreenEDGE) 20 pts

2. Jay McCarthy (AUS/Tinkoff) 15 pts

3. Diego Ulissi (ITA/Lampre-Merida) 14 pts

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE