2011 Tour Down Under
The 2011 Santos Tour Down Under was the 13th edition of the Tour Down Under stage race. It took place from 18 to 23 January in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and was the first race of the 2011 UCI World Tour.[1] The Tour was preceded by the Cancer Council Classic race, on Sunday, 16 January, that consisted in a circuit of 30 laps around the Rymill Park in Adelaide's East End, totaling 51 kilometres (32 mi).[2]
| 2011 UCI World Tour, race 1 of 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 18–23 January | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 758 km (471.0 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 17h 54' 27" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The race was won by Garmin–Cervélo rider Cameron Meyer, after holding onto the leader's ochre jersey which came from a breakaway stage win on stage four.[3][4] Meyer's winning margin over runner-up and fellow Australian Matthew Goss (HTC–Highroad) – winner of the first stage of the race – was just two seconds, the equal second smallest margin in the race's history. Team Sky's Ben Swift – a stage winner on the second and final stages – completed the podium, eight seconds down on Meyer.
In the race's other classifications, overall winner Meyer also guaranteed himself the black jersey for the highest placed rider under the age of 26, and Goss took home the blue jersey for amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes. UniSA-Australia rider Luke Roberts won the King of the Mountains classification, with Movistar Team finishing at the head of the teams classification.
Overall favourites
The 2011 Tour Down Under was a very exciting race this year as Mark Cavendish of HTC–Highroad marked his first appearance ever.[5] Germany's André Greipel left Mark Cavendish's team of Team HTC–Columbia in 2010 and joined Omega Pharma–Lotto, creating a rivalry between two top sprinters. Greipel, the leader of Omega Pharma–Lotto tried to take full advantage of his captaincy and win his third Tour Down Under.[6]
Although he was not expected to be an overall contender, the 2011 Tour marks Lance Armstrong's last race outside the U.S. as a professional cyclist.[7]
Participating teams
As the Tour Down Under was a UCI World Tour event, all UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad.
UCI ProTeams:
Teams awarded a wildcard invitation:
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Schedule
| Stage | Route | Distance | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mawson Lakes > Angaston | 138 km (86 mi) | Tuesday, 18 January | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| 2 | Tailem Bend > Mannum | 146 km (91 mi) | Wednesday, 19 January |  |
| 3 | Unley > Stirling | 129 km (80 mi) | Thursday, 20 January | |
| 4 | Norwood > Strathalbyn | 124 km (77 mi) | Friday, 21 January | |
| 5 | McLaren Vale > Willunga | 131 km (81 mi) | Saturday, 22 January |  |
| 6 | Adelaide > Adelaide | 90 km (56 mi) | Sunday, 23 January | |
Stages
Stage 1, Mawson Lakes to Angaston
Stage 1 Result
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General Classification after Stage 1
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Stage 2, Tailem Bend to Mannum
Stage 2 Result
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General Classification after Stage 2
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.svg.png){kind=small}
Stage 3, Unley to Stirling
Stage 3 Result
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General Classification after Stage 3
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Stage 4, Norwood to Strathalbyn
Stage 4 Result
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General Classification after Stage 4
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Stage 5, McLaren Vale to Willunga
Stage 5 Result
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General Classification after Stage 5
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Stage 6, Adelaide to Adelaide
Stage 6 Result
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Final General Classification
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Classification leadership
In the 2011 Tour Down Under, six different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on each stage and in intermediate sprints, the leader received an ochre jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Tour Down Under, and the winner was considered the winner of the Tour.
Additionally, there was a sprint classification, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprint classification, cyclists earned points for finishing in the top three in a stage or intermediate sprint, with the top three finishers in the stage getting 8, 6, and 4 points respectively, and the top three in the intermediate sprints getting 6, 4, and 2.
There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a white jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Unlike most other cycling events, there was no categorization of climbs as each awards the same points (16, 12, 8, 6, and 4) to the first five riders past the summit.
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification. This classification awarded a black jersey.
Due to UCI rules limiting the number of jersey awards to four, the above are the only jerseys awarded to riders which were then worn the next day during the stage. But there were two other jerseys. The first was the red jersey for the most aggressive rider. This award was comparable to the combativity award of the Tour de France. While the rider received a red jersey on the podium after the stage, he wore his normal jersey (unless holding one of the above four) in the next stage, with the aggressive rider award indicated by a red bib number.
The sixth and final jersey was for the teams classification. This jersey was not presented on the podiums daily, but it was awarded to the winning team at the end of the Tour. The teams classification was calculated by adding the times of each team's best four riders per stage per day. The jersey was blue.
| Stage | Winner | General Classification |
Mountains Classification |
Sprint Classification |
Young Rider Classification |
Team Classification |
Aggressive Rider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Goss | Matthew Goss | Luke Roberts | Matthew Goss | Matthew Goss | Team Sky | Simon Clarke |
| 2 | Ben Swift | Robbie McEwen | Mitchell Docker | Yuriy Krivtsov | |||
| 3 | Michael Matthews | Matthew Goss | Matthew Goss | Luke Durbridge | |||
| 4 | Cameron Meyer | Cameron Meyer | Thomas De Gendt | Cameron Meyer | Garmin–Cervélo | Thomas De Gendt | |
| 5 | Francisco Ventoso | Matthew Goss | Movistar Team | Richie Porte | |||
| 6 | Ben Swift | Stuart O'Grady | |||||
| Final | Cameron Meyer | Luke Roberts | Matthew Goss | Cameron Meyer | Movistar Team | – | |
References
- "2011 Map of all Routes - Santos Tour Down Under - UCI World Tour". Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
- "Cancer Council Classic - Santos Tour Down Under - UCI World Tour". Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- "Cameron Meyer wins Tour Down Under as Ben Swift takes final stage". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Press Association. 23 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- "Meyer wins, Armstrong bows out". Independent Online. Independent News & Media. SAPA-AFP. 23 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- "Welcome Cavendish, Sky Pro Cycling, BMC Racing Team, Lampre-ISD, Team Katusha - Santos Tour Down Under - UCI World Tour". Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- "Preview - Santos Tour Down Under". Cyclingnews.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- "Lance Armstrong boosts ride numbers - Santos Tour Down Under - UCI World Tour". Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.