July 02, 2013 (Nice, France) – On the heels of his historic victory yesterday in Corsica, Simon Gerrans stood on the Tour de France podium again today. Today, he was joined by his entire team. ORICA-GreenEDGE won the stage four team time trial in Nice. The team effort put Gerrans in the yellow jersey, tied on time with Daryl Impey and Michael Albasini.

“It was a team effort yesterday, but I was the one to stand on the podium and receive the reward,” said Gerrans. “It was that much more special to stand on the stage today with the entire team. All nine of us were on the podium together to celebrate our win. The yellow jersey is an added bonus.”

“The creation of this team was a major milestone,” Sport Director Matt White added. “We poured a lot of work into the team over the last 10-15 years. To unite so many Australians on a team with Australian DNA was the first step. Our success last year was a boxed ticked. Winning in Corsica yesterday was another big moment. To win today and put an Australian in yellow is a real dream come true.”

Omega Pharma-Quick-Step set the early benchmark of 25’57 over the 25km pan-flat parcours. Third at the intermediate check point, ORICA-GreenEDGE edged out the Belgian squad by less than a second at the finish.

“I thought we’d be around the mark, but the boys had an incredible ride,” said White. “We really didn’t do much specific preparation for this stage. We did one day on the TTT bikes in Corsica, but that was it. We had moved away from having a team just for the team time trial because we didn’t think our best team could beat Sky or Garmin on this particular course. We brought a more diverse Tour team instead. They were very relaxed today, and they nailed it from the start. We were all very happily surprised with the win.

“Time trial specialists Cameron Meyer and Svein Tuft led the Australian outfit down the start ramp. The Tour de France debutants each took long, steady pulls to get the team up to speed. Stopping the clock at 25’56, ORICA-GreenEDGE averaged 57.8kph to record the fastest time ever for a Tour team time trial.

“The boys did a technically good ride today,” said White. “Everyone was on the mark. I’m especially proud of Svein and Stuey [Stuart O’Grady] who both took big, long turns on the front. We would have been happy with a top five today. It was really incredible to cross the line and hear we posted the fastest time.”

“We certainly weren’t the favourites, but we had a very strong team,” Gerrans added. “There were no weak links today. Everyone was given a specific role to play within the TTT. The stronger riders pulled harder and longer. The less strong guys kept the speed up on their teams. Everyone committed 100% and it paid off with the win.”

With the win came the yellow jersey. Although tied on time with Impey and Albasini, Gerrans was the first of his teammates across the finish line, snagging himself the coveted maillot jaune. The sixth Australian to wear yellow, Gerrans adds his name to an impressive list that includes Phil Anderson, Bradley McGee, O’Grady, Robbie McEwen and Cadel Evans.

“To take the yellow jersey is the pinnacle of cycling,” said Gerrans. “The Tour de France is the race around the world that everyone knows, and the yellow jersey is the symbol of that race. Winning stages and wearing yellow changes a career. To pull on this jersey is something a rider might dream about for his whole life. Only a few guys get that opportunity. I’m thrilled to have that honour.”

“We want to keep the yellow jersey as long as possible,” White confirmed. “We have a one second advantage. Simon only has to stay in contact with the bunch during the next two stages.”

The team has a duel focus tomorrow. Gerrans will be one of two protected riders on stage five.

“Tomorrow we go back to targeting a result for Gossy [Matt Goss],” White added. “We’ll look after Simon at the same time. Other teams will want to keep the race together for a bunch sprint, so we’ll have help there. Ideally, we can take the yellow jersey all the way to the Pyrenees but we’re taking it one day at a time.”

Results

1. Orica-GreenEdge 0:25:56
2. Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:01
3. Sky Procycling 0:03
4. Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:09
5. Lotto-Belisol 0:17
6. Garmin – Sharp
7. Movistar Team 0:20
8. Lampre – Merida 0:25
9. BMC Racing Team 0:26
10. Katusha Team 0:28
11. Radioshack Leopard0:29
12. Vacansoleil-Dcm 0:33
13. Cannondale 0:34
14. Belkin Pro Cycling 0:37
15. FDJ 0:42
16. Astana Pro Team 0:56
17. Ag2R La Mondiale 1:04
18. Sojasun 1:10
19. Team Europcar 1:13
20. Euskaltel – Euskadi 1:24
21. Cofidis, Solutions Credits 1:32
22. Team Argos-Shimano 1:47

GC after Stage 4

1. Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge 12:47:24
2. Daryl Impey (Rsa) Orica-GreenEdge
3. Michael Albasini (Sui) Orica-GreenEdge
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:00:01
5. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:03
7. Christopher Froome (Gbr) Sky Procycling
8. Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling
9. Nicholas Roche (Irl) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:00:09
10. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
11. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
12. Alberto Contador Velasco (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff
13. David Millar (Gbr) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:17
14. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol
15. Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol
16. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Sharp
17. Christian Vandevelde (USA) Garmin-Sharp
18. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp
19. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp
20. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Sharp
21. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:20
22. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team
23. Andrey Amador Bikkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team
24. Imanol Erviti (Esp) Movistar Team
25. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:00:25
26. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida
27. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col) Lampre-Merida
28. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:26
29. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
30. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
31. Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team
32. Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:00:28
33. Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Team Katusha
34. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Esp) Team Katusha
35. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Esp) Team Katusha
36. Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:00:29
37. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Esp) RadioShack Leopard
38. Andy Schleck (Lux) RadioShack Leopard
39. Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard
40. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:00:33
41. Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
42. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Esp) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
43. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale 0:00:34
44. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Belkin Procycling Team 0:00:37
45. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Belkin Procycling Team
46. Bram Tankink (Ned) Belkin Procycling Team
47. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Belkin Procycling Team
48. Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ 0:00:42
49. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ
50. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) FDJ
51. Elia Favilli (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:00:48
52. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:00:56
53. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana Pro Team
54. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
55. Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:04
56. Jean Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
57. Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
58. John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
59. Julien Simon (Fra) Sojasun 0:01:10
60. Brice Feillu (Fra) Sojasun
61. Maxime Mederel (Fra) Sojasun
62. Davide Malacarne (Ita) Team Europcar 0:01:13
63. Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
64. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 0:01:15
65. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:01:16
66. Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi 0:01:24
67. Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi
68. Igor Anton Hernandez (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi
69. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi
70. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:44
71. Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Cannondale 0:01:57
72. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:02:20
73. Daniel Navarro Garcia (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
74. Alexis Vuillermoz (Fra) Sojasun 0:03:39
75. Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar 0:03:42
76. Steve Morabito (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:04:32
77. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:04:36
78. Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:44
79. Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ 0:05:01
80. Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi 0:05:04
81. Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Sojasun 0:05:24
82. Yury Trofimov (Rus) Team Katusha 0:05:30
83. Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack Leopard 0:05:31
84. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:05:51
85. Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:06:00
86. Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Sojasun 0:06:01
87. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:06:04
88. Kristjan Koren (Slo) Cannondale 0:06:12
89. Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Sojasun 0:06:48
90. Julien El Fares (Fra) Sojasun
91. Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 0:07:47
92. Ruben Plaza Molina (Esp) Movistar Team 0:08:06
93. Daniele Bennati (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:08:35
94. Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:08:52
95. Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin Procycling Team 0:09:03
96. Peter Kennaugh (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:09:18
97. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:09:40
98. Pavel Brutt (Rus) Team Katusha 0:09:46
99. Moreno Moser (Ita) Cannondale 0:09:49
100. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ 0:09:57
101. Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Sojasun 0:10:29
102. Alberto Losada Alguacil (Esp) Team Katusha 0:11:24
103. Laurent Didier (Lux) RadioShack Leopard 0:12:20
104. Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:13:00
105. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Esp) Movistar Team 0:13:03
106. Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:13:36
107. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Esp) Movistar Team 0:13:41
108. Markel Irizar Aranburu (Esp) RadioShack Leopard 0:13:50
109. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Sky Procycling 0:14:07
110. Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:14:13
111. Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:14:15
112. Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:14:30
113. Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:14:33
114. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:14:46
115. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano 0:14:47
116. Jerome Coppel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:15:03
117. David Veilleux (Can) Team Europcar 0:15:20
118. Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Team Katusha 0:15:21
119. Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:16:09
120. Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:17:35
121. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
122. Simon Clarke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge 0:17:36
123. Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol 0:18:02
124. Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:18:04
125. Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale 0:18:25
126. Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:18:49
127. Maciek Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale 0:18:54
128. Cameron Meyer (Aus) Orica GreenEdge 0:19:06
129. Boy Van Poppel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:19:13
130. Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano 0:19:21
131. Rohan Dennis (Aus) Garmin-Sharp 0:19:44
132. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Belkin Procycling Team 0:20:32
133. David Lopez Garcia (Esp) Sky Procycling 0:21:17
134. José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Esp) Movistar Team 0:21:29
135. Lars Boom (Ned) Belkin Procycling Team 0:21:51
136. Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ 0:21:56
137. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol 0:22:22
138. Brian Vandborg (Den) Cannondale 0:22:32
139. Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi 0:22:33
140. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:22:54
141. John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano 0:22:56
142. Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:23:13
143. Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:23:29
144. Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
145. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Sky Procycling 0:23:50
146. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team 0:23:53
147. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha 0:24:15
148. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Procycling Team 0:24:22
149. Brett Lancaster (Aus) Orica GreenEdge 0:24:48
150. Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
151. Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge 0:26:00
152. Svein Tuft (Can) Orica GreenEdge
153. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:26:01
154. Ian Stannard (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:26:03
155. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:26:20
156. Lieuwe Westra (Ned Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:26:33
157. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale 0:26:34
158. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:26:50
159. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
160. Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
161. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:27:02
162. Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:27:04
163. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:27:06
164. Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Orica GreenEdge
165. Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar 0:27:13
166. Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:27:14
167. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:27:15
168. William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ 0:27:19
169. Murilo Antonio Fischer (Bra) FDJ
170. Ramunas Navardauskas (Lit) Garmin-Sharp 0:27:20
171. Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:27:22
172. Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:27:24
173. Gregory Henderson (Nzl) Lotto Belisol 0:27:30
174. Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel Euskadi 0:27:31
175. Tom Leezer (Ned) Belkin Procycling Team 0:27:35
176. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:27:37
177. Kevin Reza (Fra) Team Europcar 0:27:44
178. Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol
179. Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano 0:27:47
180. Johannes Frohlinger (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano
181. Jack Bauer (Nzl) Garmin-Sharp 0:27:49
182. Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:27:57
183. Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol 0:28:00
184. Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:28:05
185. Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Team Katusha 0:28:08
186. Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi 0:28:14
187. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano 0:28:36
188. Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano
189. Albert Timmer (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano
190. Jerome Cousin (Fra) Team Europcar 0:28:45
191. Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:28:58
192. Ruben Perez Moreno (Esp) Euskaltel Euskadi 0:29:13
193. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Esp) Team Saxo-Tinkoff 0:30:31
194. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) FDJ 0:35:00
195. Tom Veelers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano 0:36:05