Rory Sutherland came close to victory Down Under

It was not your typical 135 kilometer long first stage of Tour Down Under where a hilly finale held a small climb working as a catapult for eager and hungry riders chasing the stage win.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Rory Sutherland launched a fierce move on the final kilometer of the stage and was alone in the front of the race until 300 meters from the finish line where a roaring pack of 50 remaining riders in the field swept him up and on the finish line, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) was the fastest sprinter.

“Rory (Sutherland) shows impressive form and is dedicated to do a good result so he I’s primary leader in this race but the whole team did a great job working together as a team. We’ll keep trying to go for a good GC result for Rory,” says Tinkoff-Saxo’s DS, Fabrizio Guidi after the stage.