It would have been nice to be a fly on the wall of the meeting room for Team RadioShack (TRS) on Tuesday night to hear the tactics and strategy discussion. If you’d been that fly, you might have heard them say, “Let’s pick it up a bit tomorrow.” That sentiment must have been expressed in some fashion, because TRS seemed to have a more aggressive approach to the day’s race.
The heat that everyone suffered through on Tuesday was back for Wednesday’s Stage Three of the Santos Tour Down Under (TDU) from Unley (near Adelaide) down, around and back up to Stirling. “Hot, hard, and fast,” TRS rider Daryl Impey would post after the day, “Aircon On.” When the red flag dropped the peloton was at it again with speed in mind.
After a few early attacks that didn’t amount to much, TRS’ Sebastien Rosseler was part of a nine rider breakaway that also included riders from Astana, Katusha, and Caisse D’Epargne. Lance Armstrong suffered a puncture at the 26km mark but was quickly back in the peloton. Several riders suffered punctures throughout the day according to reports from the road, including Tomas Vaitkus toward the end of the stage. The gap for Rosseler breakaway didn’t last too long. By the time the break was through the first sprint, the peloton, led by Team HTC Columbia, was again riding as one.
The extreme weather had the riders eating early and often to fuel the day’s racing effort over the 132.5km course. No doubt the famous race rice cakes of Allen Lim (Ph.D, TRS’ team physiologist) were being handed off and gobbled down by the racers as they sped along Southern Expressway.
At the 36km mark, just two kilometers from Wickhams Hill Road, the King of the Mountain (KOM) point for the day, two riders from Team Milram mounted what ultimately would be a successful attack for the day’s KOM honor. Thomas Rohregger of Milram claimed the KOM, with second place to Luke Roberts (also of Milram), and Valeriy Dmitriyev of Team Astana third over the top.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon there were various attacks initiated by the likes of Liquigas, Francaise Des Jeux, Caisse D’Epargne, Saxo Bank, BMC, and HTC Columbia. Toward the end it was HTC Columbia and Caisse D’Epargne that controlled the tempo of the peloton. The near one-minute lead enjoyed by the breakaway that included Jack Bobridge of Garmin Transitions, Jens Voigt of Saxo Bank, Karsten Kroon of BMC, and Simon Clarke of Uni SA began to dwindle.
By the 115km mark the break was dead and the peloton continued to pick up speed. The Shackers mounted a final attack in the final two kilometers, but it was the Portuguese rider Manuel Cardoso of Footon Servetto that crossed the finish line first, followed by Alejandro Valverde of Caisse D’Epargne in second place and Cadel Evans of BMC taking third for the stage.
TRS riders finished as follows: Steegmans, 22nd; Armstrong, 30th, Impey, 43rd; Popovych, 57th; Rosseler, 71st; McCartney, 76th; Vaitkus, 77th.
The Shack had to feel good about the day, as Gert Steegmans retained his third position overall in the General Classification (GC). With the hot weather expected to continue on Thursday, let’s hope the Shackers will also continue to turn up the heat in the peloton and get a stage win by week’s end.
By Jeff Ludlum, staff writer
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“The Shackers,” you heard it here first. As long as they keep it up and avoid being the slackers ;p. GO TRS! From Florida with love.
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