2020 Tour Down Under Stage 5 Results & Recap
Stage 5 of the 2020 Tour Down Under is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Nizzolo impresses in Victor Harbor
Italian sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo (NTT Pro Cycling) found his sprinting legs after a tough ride up a late categorized climb to take the first win for NTT Pro Cycling, a new World Tour team this season. Nizzolo held off #42 and #51 after a fast and furious 20-kilometre descent off Kerby Hill saw the stage and GC favorites regroup after the pressure set from Mitchelton Scott split the peloton.
“I can’t thank the team enough,” Nizzolo said. “Today they did a great job. That was the plan for them to wait for me on the climb, then they did a great lead out and I just gave everything I had on the pedals and it worked out. I’m so happy.
“It was a big test for the team, they did a great job today, so we just need to keep going like that.”
Because of the intermediate bonuses he earned, Daryl Impey (Mitchelton - SCOTT) will wear the ochre jersey tomorrow, which is the final stage of the Santos Tour Down Under. He has two seconds on Richie Porte (Trek - Segafredo). Porte has won on Willunga Hill six times and will be eying that climb to win back the overall. Joseph Rosskopf (Ccc Team) will start tomorrow's stage in the KOM jersey, and Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) is still leading the sprint competition. Pavel Sivakov (Team INEOS) is the best young rider and Mads Pedersen (Trek - Segafredo) was awarded the most combative prize.
“It’s fantastic to lead the race going to Willunga tomorrow,” Impey said after the stage. “The boys did a fantastic job. I don’t know if it’s enough, but we’ll give it a good shot tomorrow.”
“We did exactly as we planned on the climb, Lucas (Hamilton) did a good job with the hard pace which split up the pack. We had a select group and I was praying we would make it to the line, but it came back together.”
Once the skirmishing for bonuses ended, a breakaway began and around eight riders went up the road. But no one was allowed too much leeway.
The peloton wouldn’t let go of the attempts made to breakaway, and it was mostly due to the tenacity of Michelton Scott with its eye on Kerby Hill.
Then another breakaway went that gained some traction. Ian Stannard (INS), Mads Pedersen (TFS), Ide Schelling (BOH) and Josef Cerny (CCC) were part of the lead group that managed to make it to the lower part of the climb up Kerby Hill.
When they got onto the slopes of the hill, #106 tried to do a flyer, but was brought back by Astana, who were taken over by Mitchelton Scott. They split the field with some incredible pace making by Lucas Hamilton, who did the majority of the work at the front.
It was Porte who went over the top first, and with him the GC contenders started on the descent. But the chase group, full of the sprinters, caught them and the peloton went into the finish together.
Even though he was off the back on the climb, Nizzolo’s team did swift work in bringing him back into contention. They delivered him to the front of the group and into the sprint. \n
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