Richie Porte (BMC Racing) stomped away from the rest of the Tour Down Under contenders Wednesday on the Paracombe climb, taking the stage 2 win and claiming the overall race lead. The BMC team leader made it look easy as he rode away from the mostly intact peloton that hit the lowers slopes of the final climb for a fourth career Tour Down Under stage win.
Porte finished 16 seconds ahead of Gorka Izagirre (Movistar) and Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) during the 145.5km stage from Stirling to Paracombe. He now leads Izagirre in the overall by 20 seconds and Chaves by 22.
"It's incredible to wear the jersey in the biggest race in Australia. I would love to win it. There are a few hard days to come but I know today and the work the BMC guys did for me today was absolutely incredible," Porte said after collecting the ochre, points, and KOM jerseys. "I did a lot of training in the off-season for this climb, we made a mess of it two years ago so to come back and make amends like this is just a dream."
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Having twice finished runner-up in the race, Porte wouldn't be drawn into stating the race was already won with the likes of Simon Gerrans (Orica-Scott) still a dangerous rival despite being 58 seconds in arrears.
"I think for me, it is just to get through the next two days in as good a condition as I can. I am not sure what the time gaps are back to guys like Simon Gerrans but she's not over until it's over," added Porte.
With 2015 Paracombe winner Rohan Dennis crossing the line in fourth place, BMC is well positioned for its second overall win in three years. Izagirre, and Chaves are likely Porte's most dangerous rivals. However, Australian puncheurs Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) will be riders to watch with the numerous intermediate sprint bonus seconds on offer.
How it unfolded
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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