January 19, 2018 (Uraidla, Australia) – Reigning world road champion, Peter Sagan (Svk) BORA-hansgroh, blitzed his rivals on the downhill run to the finish in Uraidla amid 45-degree temperatures in Adelaide to claim Bupa Stage 4 of the Santos Tour Down Under – and the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey. Sagan became the first reigning world road champion to claim stage honours in the event’s 20-edition history. Canada’s Antoine Duchesne (FDJ) finished 71st and sits 95th overall – brief results from first four stages below. -ed

Sagan formed part of the lead bunch that reeled in race leader Zak Dempster on the approach to the Subaru King of the Mountain climb atop Norton Summit Road. Dicing with defending Santos TDU champion Richie Porte on the run through Ashton and on towards the finish at Uraidla, Sagan hovered at the front of the race-leading group as ownership of the front changed hands.

Then on the fast descent to the line, the Slovakian master made his move. Taking the wheel of South African Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-SCOTT), it was Sagan turning on the taps in the final metres to claim the line for his first stage win of the Santos Tour Down Under following his non-points victory in the People’s Choice Classic last Sunday.

Impey claimed second ahead of former winner Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) and Sagan’s Australian teammate Jay McCarthy (BORA-hansgrohe).

Sagan will shed the rainbow jersey for the iconic Ochre for tomorrow’s fifth stage from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill. While the 27-year-old savoured his win, he affirmed his commitment to race for teammate Jay McCarthy, who is nine seconds behind in third position on the general classifcation.

“It’s been a very hard day of racing but maybe not the hottest in my career so far as I’ve experienced something slightly hotter in California a couple of years ago,” Sagan said. “I already won the opening criterium but it’s nice to grab my first stage of the Santos Tour Down Under.

“It’s very good for the organization and very nice for the fans to have a different stage winner every day,” he added. “Tomorrow will be again another story. I’m in the Ochre jersey now but we all know we are racing here for Jay McCarthy. It’s his home race. He’ll have a much harder climb than today to have his say tomorrow.”

Results (brief)

Stage 1 – Jan. 16 – Port Adelaide-Lyndoch – 145km
1. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal 3:50:21
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
3. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors
5. Simone Consonni (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
6. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb
7. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin
8. Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
9. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Bahrain-Merida
10. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana Pro Team

20. Antoine Duchesne (Can) Groupama-FDJ

Stage 2 – Jan. 17 – Unley-Stirling – 148.6km
1. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 4:03:55
2. Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott
3. Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
5. Nathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-Alpecin
6. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors
7. Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Esp) Bahrain-Merida
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
9. Luis León Sánchez (Esp) Astana Pro Team
10. Carlos Barbero Cuesta (Esp) Movistar Team

110. Antoine Duchesne (Can) Groupama-FDJ

Stage 3 – Jan. 18 – Glenelg-Victor Harbor – 120.5km
1. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors 3:04:40
2. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb
3. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
4. Simone Consonni (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
5. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
6. Simon Clarke (Aus) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
7. Alex Edmondson (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
8. Zakkari Dempster (Aus) UniSA-Australia
9. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
10. Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe

95. Antoine Duchesne (Can) Groupama-FDJ

Stage 4 – Jan. 19 – Norwood-Uraidla – 128.2km
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 3:21:07
2. Daryl Impey (Rsa) Mitchelton-Scott
3. Luis León Sánchez (Esp) Astana Pro Team
4. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
5. Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe
6. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
7. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
8. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates
9. Pierre Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
10. Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo

71. Antoine Duchesne (Can) FDJ 10:43

GC after Stage 4
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) BORA-hansgrohe 14:19:49
2. Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-SCOTT 0:02
3. Jay McCarthy (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe 0:09
4. Luis León Sánchez (Esp) Astana Pro Team 0:10
5. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:14
6. Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
7. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates
8. George Bennett (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo
9. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
10. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Team Sky

95. Antoine Duchesne (Can) FDJ 21:18