Cycling: Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) won the Tour Down Under prep race today with the People's Choice Classic criterion. He was already able to triumph in this race last year. The German team Bora-Hansgrohe also presented itself in good form. Peter Sagan put on the sprint for his teammate Sam Bennett. The two finished second and third behind Ewan.
Peter Sagan pulls up for Sam Bennett
The People's Choice Classic has been held around Rymill Park in Adelaide every year since 2006. This season, however, the route has been slightly changed. So this time the riders went counterclockwise and stayed south of the park all the time. In total, the 2,3-kilometer circuit had to be completed 22 times in front of many spectators. Given the short overall distance of just over 50 kilometers and the associated short race duration of around an hour, the pace was naturally kept high throughout. Again and again smaller groups or even soloists tried to break away. Ben O'Connor (Dimension Data) in particular managed to put his stamp on the race by being able to drive in front of the field as a soloist for the longest time. Ultimately, however, the sprinter teams were undeterred. They brought the team together in the final laps. As expected, there was a mass sprint. Sky, Bora-Hansgrohe and Orica-Scott were the most active. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) put on the sprint for his teammate Sam Bennett, but last year's winner Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) was just too strong and won clearly.
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Traditional preparation for the Tour Down Under
The People's Choice Classic circuit race has been held since 2006. This criterion is considered a small gallop before the subsequent Tour Down Under. However, the race itself does not count towards the overall classification and therefore also not to the WorldTour. Nevertheless, many riders are happy to take part in this very short criterion. Especially the sprinters, because in the twelve previous events there was always a mass sprint. With three wins, André Greipel is the record winner. The Tour Down Under begins on Tuesday 17th January. The 6th and final stage will be held on Sunday 22nd January. Then the first leader in the WorldTour 2017 will automatically be chosen. For all six stages, the finish line is expected to be between 04 a.m. and 06 a.m. CET.
People's Choice Classic 2017: The result
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Caleb ewan | Australia | Orica Scott | 1:03:41 |
| 2. | Sam Bennett | Ireland | Bora Hansgrohe | st |
| 3. | Peter Sagan | Slovakia | Bora Hansgrohe | st |
| 4. | Niccolo Boniface | Italy | Bahrain-Merida | st |
| 5. | Edward Theuns | Belgium | Trek-Segafredo | st |
| 6. | Mark Renshaw | Australia | Dimension Data | st |
| 7. | Sean De Bie | Belgium | Lotto Soudal | st |
| 8. | Baptiste Planckaert | Belgium | Katusha Alpecin | st |
| 9. | Patrick Bevin | Australia | Cannondale Drapac | st |
| 10. | Jasha Sutterlin | Germany | Movistar | st |