The third stage came up with a finale whose executioner cast its shadow before the start and which lived up to its name: Corksrew Hill. Here, Cadel Evans (BMC), who was in excellent form, launched an attack that none of the other drivers was able to cope with. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) fought his way up the 2,5km climb behind his compatriot, followed by Richie Porte (Sky). But while both were eventually caught by pursuers again, the 2011 Tour winner managed to complete his attack. At the end of the day, Evans not only celebrated the stage win, but also the overall lead.
BMC Racing Team's Cadel Evans attacked Thursday's Santos Tour Down Under on Corkscrew Road and sped down the downhill to the finish. His efforts were rewarded with the solo victory and the leader's jersey.
At the finish, Evan's lead was 15 seconds. “I figured an opportunity would arise and I took it. The team has been training really well and we have a solid group down under. It's a lot of fun to drive here and I hope I can show more in front of the home crowd.", according to the 2009 World Champion.
Behind Evans, Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp) led a twelve-man group to the finish. This also included Gerrans and Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida), winners of the first two stages.
Before the field with the favorites started their race at Corksrew Hill, a three-man lead group determined the events of the day. In this, Jens Voigt (Trek Factory Racing) from Berlin was responsible for the pace. Together with the Australian Travis Meyer (Drapac) and the Ukrainian Andrei Grivko (Astana) he defended himself against the emerging field. "I knew we weren't going to get through. We were never more than two and a half minutes ahead, especially since Grivko was just 21 seconds behind in the overall standings”, said Voigt after the race. For his efforts he was recognized as a Most Active Driver honored.
For Evans, the ocher leader's jersey is the first leader's jersey since his victory at the Critérium International 2012. After the award ceremony, he showed that he is really happy about it: “I always have to smile in the decisive phases of such races. It's about victory or defeat. It's great that so many Australians are taking an interest in cycling and flying our flag. That’s what makes this tour so special.” Cadel Evans' last start at the Tour Down Under was in 2010. This time he could emerge victorious from the Tour. In any case, the form he has shown over the last three days speaks for it.
//Result
1.Cadel Evans (BMC) 3:34:05
2. Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) 0:00:15
3. Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) 0:00:15
4. Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) 0:00:15
5. Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEdge) 0:00:15
//overall rating
1.Cadel Evans (BMC) 10:46:39
2. Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEdge) 0:00:12
3. Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) 0:00:15
4. Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) 0:00:27
5. Robert Gesink (Belkin) 0:00:29