Day 1 - No-one cans the Cancer Council Classic

No-one cans the Cancer Council Classic

By Simon Cadzow

“It’s a crit.”

Bjarne Rhis Saxo Bank Sun Guard Santos Tour Down Under 2011 on the Cancer Council Classic

Blunt. (Didn’t I say that yesterday?) That said he was smiling and the word CLASSIC is actually pretty good to describe this particular “crit” that got things underway for the week ahead.

I drove around the course this morning. Fast, very fast. The course that is...

At 4pm the Rendition Homes series began with the elite girls taking off for 30min plus 2 laps. They raced hard from the go and Chloe Hoskins HTC win ahead of Rochelle Gilmore Honda Dream Team was both a crowd pleaser and (quite frankly) not a bad curtain raiser.

Suddenly, 20 Skoda’s lined up all with greater dollar value strapped to the roof than under the bonnet (this catches your eye) and signals the arrival of the riders. Excitement builds, cue the music.

Enter the v-o-o-o-i-i-i-c-c-c-e-e-s-s-s-s-s-s of cycling, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwyn to introduce the teams to the public.

The locals, UNI SA, led all teams through introductions and received just like all teams, strong crowd support. Says something about Adelaide, something about cycling spectator crowds??

This was the first chance this year for anyone to see all teams at once. Not just in new kit, comments on that later, but some teams completely new this year.

30 min of warm up laps brought the riders to the start line. The crowd had grown and things as they always must, began. 30 laps to go.

By the time the riders had made it around lap 1, 5 guys had already gone off the front with local boy from WA Luke Durbridge Uni SA making everyone forget the names of the other 4 with him. The under 23 time trial champion of OZ clearly wanted to make things happen and he took the first sprint on lap 5.

These five guys stayed away at around 30 seconds through the next 2 sprints before 2 returned to the peloton, leaving “Turbo Durbo” and his fellow escapees to fight out the last sprint.

The field however had been putting down the hammer and steadily reeling them in.

Speaking of the field, HTC through Danny Pate and Bert Grabsch had been driving things for a long time with both riders looking comfortable. Although it should be noted that they shared the front with Omega Pharma-Lotto and when I say shared I don’t mean with one or two riders, I mean with the whole OPL team!!!

Final 5 laps. The pace is picking up.

Moviestar are forming a train at the back of the race...hmmmmm...

3 laps to go. Quick Step are coming to the front along with some Astana boys. HTC are still there. Duh.

Final lap. Sky have appeared out of nowhere, does this surprise anyone, and are forming a freight train. HTC are doing the same.

Then it comes. The crash. Greg Henderson Team Sky goes down turning into the final corner.

The crowd as one rises onto its collective toes and shouts an ‘Oooohhhhh!’

Renshaw HTC is through, so is Matt Goss HTC, McEwan Team Radio Shack in the mix. Others too but these are the ones who in the end count.

Goss lets fly, arms outstretched giving Graham Watson another twitter picture perfect. This guy is not only the heir apparent to Jens Voights nice-guy-of-the-peloton but his form right now is awesome; Renshaw sits up for a 1-2, and Robbie stretches for third. Great finish.

What a day for HTC. I have no doubt there is more to come. The Santos Tour Down Under is promising lots. As said to me after tonight’s Classic looking at the week ahead;

“3^rd time here, it’s a great race.”   -   Johan Bruyneel Team Radio Shack

 Less than 48 hours to go to stage 1.

Oh, and who got mobbed by the media? You guessed it, the guy who thinks the girls here are friendly.