Race Report: THINK! Street Security Males’s Stage 4 The Santos Tour Down Below has delivered a historic maiden WorldTour stage win for Frenchman Bryan Coquard. Coquard (Cofidis) crossing the end line at Willunga city on Saturday noticed the Santos Tour Down Below additionally ship a fourth winner from a distinct nation in an intriguing 2023 version of the race.
* Race report and quotes courtesy of the Santos Tour Down Below. *
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The 30-year-old claimed the Assume! Street Security Stage 4 victory forward of Wednesday’s efex Prologue winner Alberto Bettiol (EF Schooling-EasyPost) and Hugo Web page (Intermarche Circus Wanty). “I’ve waited for 10 years for this primary WorldTour win,” an elated Coquard stated. “I believe I had a nasty begin to the race, I’ve gained many races however no WorldTour races, I’m very blissful about this. It was good to scent this group spirit with the fellows who I can win.” Coquard joins Italy’s Bettiol, Germany’s Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Australia’s Rohan Dennis (Jumbo Visma) and Spain’s Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) as distinctive worldwide stage winners.
The Cofidis sprinter at the moment sits thirteenth within the total rankings after his empathic victory. Jay Vine (UAE Emirates) remains to be the race chief, 15 seconds forward of Bilbao and Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla). The reigning Australian time trial champion is simply 112.5km from claiming his first WorldTour GC when the Schwalbe stage 5 Unley to Mount Lofty pedals off from 11.30 am on Sunday.
Santos Tour Down Below key factors
51.4km: efex king of the mountain 1 – Decrease Willunga (class 4): Distance: 2.4km – Common gradient 2.9 %
Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) and Jonas Rutsch (EF Schooling-EasyPost) led a breakaway and opened up a 3min:49sec hole within the first actual piece of the motion for stage 4. Rutsch was first over the road on Excessive Road, Willunga adopted by two-time Tour Down Below champion Impey. Mikkel Honore (EF Schooling-Easypost) got here third in a dash to the road, edging some extent nearer to efex King of the Mountain chief Jay Vine (UAE Emirates). Taj Jones (Israel-Premier Tech) re-joined the race after a nasty crash simply after the primary efex King of the Mountain at decrease Willunga. The Australian began the stage 14min:30sec behind total race chief Vine.
69.5km: Ziptrak Dash 1 – Esplanade at Snapper Level, Aldinga Seashore
Impey and Rutsch shared the honours. The South African earned most bonuses as the principle peloton began chasing the race leaders anxious for essential bonus seconds. Ziptrak GC factors chief Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlULa) picked up a bonus second at Aldinga Seashore for his third place. Matthews was three factors forward of Vine within the digital factors classification at that stage of the coveted race. The common race pace on the first dash was 47 km/h.
92.3km: efex king of the mountain 2 – Decrease Willunga (class 4): Distance: 2.4km –
Common gradient 2.9 %
The sound of the bell warning the peloton that this was the ultimate lap of stage 4 noticed the intense GC contenders on the chase to the end line. Honore earned the utmost KOM factors, Marc Hirschi (UAE Emirates) was second and Ben Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) earned some extent for third place. Honore’s KOM factors bonus noticed him leapfrog Vine within the digital KOM classification at that stage of the race. Yates was seven factors behind the Dane.
110.4km: Ziptrak Dash 2 – Esplanade at Snapper Level, Aldinga Seashore
This dash was chaotic, elbows seemed to be out earlier than 21-year-old Frenchman Hugo Web page (Intermarche Circus Wanty) earned most time bonuses. Poland’s Kamil Gredik (Bahrain Victorious) completed second and Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) picked up the third, time bonus. Yates’ bonus second equalled Pello Bilbao’s 15-second hole to race chief Vine within the digital classification with simply 22.8km earlier than the end. The tempo of the race was beautiful with speeds reaching 51km/h at instances earlier than the windy circumstances slowed the peloton to 44km/h.
133.2km: Race End
It got here right down to a superb bunch dash end when Frenchman Bryan Coqurd upstaged the favourites on the Willunga township end line on a sunny and windy day. The intense GC contenders Vine, Bilbao and Yates all got here via unscathed in one other becoming finale in Willunga.
[THINK! ROAD SAFETY MEN’S STAGE 4 WINNER] Bryon COQUARD, Cofidis:
It’s your first WorldTour stage win. What are the feelings operating via you proper now?
10 years in the past since I’ve [been waiting] for this WorldTour win. It’s very good to share this this group spirit with guys that suppose I can win, and I win so I’m blissful.
While you began your skilled profession all these years in the past did you ever dream that your first World Tour win could be in Australia?
[Laughs]… yeah. I do know I’m superb within the begin of the season, and a number of them in actually good situation. Final 12 months was my first years in Cofidis and an important [goal] is to win once more and this 12 months it’s clearly successful [at the] WorldTour. It’s due to that I got here to Australia for an excellent season.
[SANTOS OCHRE LEADERS JERSEY] Jay VINE, UAE Staff Emirates:
You’ll have 15 seconds forward of each Pello BILBAO and Simon YATES, is that sufficient of a niche to safe the general victory?
We ought to be okay. Clearly, something can occurred tomorrow, however the climb is three minutes at six watts per kilo, in order that will probably be like 2 minutes 45 seconds. It’s not lengthy sufficient actually. You possibly can’t do greater than that to get away so I believe it ought to be protected.
[ZWIFT YOUNG RIDERS JERSEY] Magnus SHEFFIELD, INEOS Grenadiers:
You’ve nonetheless acquired the Zwift Younger Riders Jersey. How did you the way did you see at the moment pan out for your self? And clearly an enormous day tomorrow?
I felt fairly good at the moment. My knee was so much higher. We have been actually pushing. I believe we did about 50 kilometres an hour for the primary two hours. The peloton break up at one level and we had nearly everybody from the group in that entrance transfer. It was actually good as a result of I felt like we have been in management all the time. For the dash, we actually needed to attempt go for the win with Ethan HAYTER. I believe, we had a reasonably good lead out however sadly he wasn’t fairly capable of take the win. I used to be actually proud of how I felt, particularly after the previous couple of days. I really feel like I’ve made a step day-to-day. I believe I can actually sit up for tomorrow. I believe we could be actually proud of how the week has gone. We acquired a little bit of a really feel of what the guess the Belgian echelons will really feel like later this season at the moment.
[EFEX KING OF THE MOUNTAIN JERSEY] Michael HONORE, EF Schooling – Easypost:
Are you having a greater time on this Santos Tour Down Below than the final time?
Yeah. final time I used to be right here in 2019, I had some issues with the warmth. I got here from round minus 10 levels in Denmark to a heatwave right here in Adelaide. I acquired a warmth stroke and had per week in Adelaide Hospital.
So how did you put together this time? As a result of clearly, you’d have heard in regards to the warmth and also you’ve skilled the warmth.
It’s one thing I assumed extra about. I additionally got here down right here per week earlier. I used to be blissful to be down right here per week earlier, and I really like Australia. I’ve simply been right here for the World Championships as properly. And it’s my sort of second residence. It’s distant however Australian individuals, the tradition and every thing round right here. It’s tremendous, tremendous good and I get pleasure from being right here each time.
[ZIPTRAK SPRINT JERSEY] Michael MATTHEWS, Staff Jayco AlUla:
You weren’t capable of get the win, however you continue to maintain the Ziptrak Dash Jersey.
The legs weren’t there sadly. I struggled a lot of the day. I actually tried to revenue from a few of the sprinters lacking the entrance group and the crosswind there. All via the day, it was a battle towards myself sadly. However we nonetheless set it up. We nonetheless believed within the alternative to go for the stage at the moment. However simply didn’t have the legs. There’s no hiding behind it I simply wasn’t ok.
You realize, you began off as per week of such excessive hopes for you personally. It have to be a bitter tablet to swallow
It’s been a rocky street for me this week to this point. Yesterday, I believe it turned it round fairly properly. Immediately, we optimized the intermediate sprints. I believe Simon YATES acquired a second over Bilbao. He’s as much as second place now in order that’s a constructive.
[YAMAHA MOST COMPETITVE RIDER] Daryl IMPEY, Israel Premier Tech:
Yamaha Most Aggressive Rider!. That’s a fairly large honour. Nonetheless combating away, which is sweet to see.
Effectively, I haven’t confirmed myself within the race an excessive amount of. It was good to get on the market at the moment. It wasn’t actually the tactic of the group. I simply sort of adopted the circulation of the race after which we glance again and we had a niche. Then typically when you find yourself up there you suppose, properly, it’s a really tough day, possibly it’s higher to have somebody up there in case we miss the break up. It was okay. We had Corbin STRONG for the ultimate, which was excellent. Sebastian BERWICK began very well after which we nonetheless had fairly a couple of guys up on the entrance.
Stage Winner – Bryan Coquard (Cofidis)
Santos Chief’s Jersey – Jay Vine (UAE Emirates)
Ziptrak Dash Jersey – Michael Matthews (Jayco AlULa)
efex King of the Mountain – Mikkel Honore (EF Schooling-EasyPost )
Zwift Younger Rider’s Jersey – Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers)
Yamaha Most Aggressive Rider – Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech)
Santos Tour Down Below Males – Stage 4 End result:
1. Bryan COQUARD COF FRA in 2:53:41
2. Alberto BETTIOL EFE ITA
3. Hugo PAGE* ICW FRA
4. Paul PENHOET* GFC FRA
5. Corbin STRONG IPT NZL
6. Michael MATTHEWS JAY AUS
7. Dorian GODON ACT FRA
8. Marius MAYRHOFER DSM GER
9. Kim HEIDUK IGD GER.
10. Caleb EWAN AUS AUS.
Santos Tour Down Below Males – General After Stage 4:
1. Jay VINE UAD AUS in 13:26:31
2. Simon YATES JAY GBR at 0:15
3. Pello BILBAO TBV ESP
4. Magnus SHEFFIELD* IGD USA at 0:45
5. Mauro SCHMID SOQ SUI at 0:46
6. Ethan HAYTER IGD GBR at 0:50
7. Sven Erik BYSTROM ICW NOR 0:54
8. Hugo PAGE* ICW FRA 0:56
9. Antonio TIBERI* TFS ITA 0:58
10. Ben O’CONNOR ACT AUS at 1:00.
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