Davis wins Down Under, Armstrong 29th
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AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 26, 2009 00:00
ADELAIDE - With all eyes on the return of Lance Armstrong, Allan Davis managed to win the Tour Down Under in front of his home crowd. Returning from a three-year hiatus from the sport, seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong was happy with his performance.
Australian sprinter Allan Davis won the Tour Down Under yesterday as American Lance Armstrong finished well in his much-anticipated return to professional cycling.
Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who used the race as his comeback after a three-and-a-half year hiatus from the sport, came in a respectable 29th overall, 49secs behind the winner Davis of Quick Step.
Italian Francesco Chicchi handed his Liquigas team its first notable victory of the year by claiming victory in the final stage after bursting through a quality field containing Australian rivals Robbie McEwen and Graeme Brown.
But Davis did enough throughout the 90km final stage, held on a 4.5km circuit, to protect his overnight lead.
O'Grady, the winner in 1999 and 2001, finished second overall, with Spaniard Jose Rojas of Caisse d'Epargne third at 30sec.
"I've finally done it, I can't believe it," said Davis, who had come here with the modest ambition of winning a stage or two. "We just had to protect the jersey here today. I'd like to thank Quick Step and my team again. It's been an amazing week."
The 28-year-old becomes the sixth Australian to win the race, which prompted a huge wave of interest due to the presence of Armstrong.
The American gave fans reason to cheer Sunday by attacking the main peloton on the second last of the race's 18 laps, quickly closing the gap to a small group of riders that had originally been part of an earlier 13-man breakaway. The 37-year-old Armstrong's move was great for television but only forced the chasing peloton to counter-attack and catch the frontrunners quicker than anticipated.
On the final lap he dropped back into the relative safety of the group before the bunch sprint on a slight uphill leading to the finish line.
"I felt pretty good today so I thought I'd give it a go, I just didn't have the firepower to keep it going," said Armstrong. "That's the best I've felt all week -- when you feel good and have good legs, you go for it."
Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who used the race as his comeback after a three-and-a-half year hiatus from the sport, came in a respectable 29th overall, 49secs behind the winner Davis of Quick Step.
Italian Francesco Chicchi handed his Liquigas team its first notable victory of the year by claiming victory in the final stage after bursting through a quality field containing Australian rivals Robbie McEwen and Graeme Brown.
But Davis did enough throughout the 90km final stage, held on a 4.5km circuit, to protect his overnight lead.
O'Grady, the winner in 1999 and 2001, finished second overall, with Spaniard Jose Rojas of Caisse d'Epargne third at 30sec.
"I've finally done it, I can't believe it," said Davis, who had come here with the modest ambition of winning a stage or two. "We just had to protect the jersey here today. I'd like to thank Quick Step and my team again. It's been an amazing week."
The 28-year-old becomes the sixth Australian to win the race, which prompted a huge wave of interest due to the presence of Armstrong.
The American gave fans reason to cheer Sunday by attacking the main peloton on the second last of the race's 18 laps, quickly closing the gap to a small group of riders that had originally been part of an earlier 13-man breakaway. The 37-year-old Armstrong's move was great for television but only forced the chasing peloton to counter-attack and catch the frontrunners quicker than anticipated.
On the final lap he dropped back into the relative safety of the group before the bunch sprint on a slight uphill leading to the finish line.
"I felt pretty good today so I thought I'd give it a go, I just didn't have the firepower to keep it going," said Armstrong. "That's the best I've felt all week -- when you feel good and have good legs, you go for it."