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Tour Down Under Blown Apart
On the very first climb of the Tour Down Under 2000, the break which looks certain to shape the entire race went clear. Matthew Stephens, the 30-year-old English rider from the Linda McCartney Pro Cycling Team was one of the major protagonists, as 11 escapees tied up the whole Tour between them.
When the peloton began to snake up the picturesque gorge of Kangaroo Creek, only a dozen measly kilometres of racing had taken place. But by the time the race had crested the next short climb, the race had seen it's first abandonments, and 80-odd riders had given up hope of wearing the yellow jersey this week.
"Sean Yates asked all of us to make sure that no moves went without one of us, and I just did what I was told," said Matt modestly at the stage finish in Goolwa. By then, he and his 10 breakaway companions had covered 140kms without any further companions, and had built a lead worth the thick end of twenty minutes.
"Once it was clear that most of the teams were represented in the break, nobody wanted to chase," explained McCartney manager Sean Yates. The big losers were Italian giants Saeco and Polti, plus Dutch masters Farm Frites, who had held the leaders jersey overnight thanks to Koos Moerenhout's Adelaide victory yesterday. "It's great to have pulled off such a blow to teams like them in our very first race," said Sean.
After scaling the shockingly steep gradient of Checker Hill, the fugitives worked well together until they reached the 10km to go sign on the outskirts of Goolwa. It was here that Big Mat's Dominique Rault made his move, but he was chased down by Canberra rider Michael Rogers, who hung on to delight the home crowd.
When this race finishes in downtown Adelaide in a live TV circuit race on Sunday, it will be won by one of these 11 riders. With the huge lead they have over the others, they can expect to fight out the overall between themselves. Alongside Matt Stephens was last year's winner Stuart O'Grady, Emmanuel Magnien of Francaise Des Jeux and Kazakstan rider Alexander Vinokourov, so we will see a worthy winner whoever it may be.
Matt Stephens can now count upon his seven Linda McCartney team-mates to throw themselves behind his bid for a high placing, whilst they can also use carte blanche to go looking for valuable stage wins.
"A good day at the office," smiled Sean Yates.
Report by John Deering
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