Macca enjoys the stage 4 podium

In a fitting setting for their first race in their new colours, today's stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under actually took the Linda McCartney-Jacob's Creek riders through the famous vineyards and over the celebrated creek.

It all ended so close to glory for new Australian signing Pete Rogers, as he followed in Marcel Gono's footsteps and took another second place. Though he is a feature of the new Linda McCartney-Jacob's Creek line-up, Pete is representing composite Australian team Sunsmart here, and he showed great power, obduracy and awareness today.

As the race rolled into the beautiful wine-growing area of the Barossa Valley, McCartney man Juan Carlos Dominguez ensured that a jersey bearing the name of Jacob's Creek would be one of the first to pass the portals of the hallowed vineyard. He rode himself into the race's determined early break as the little brook of Jacob's Creek was crossed, but had to give best to the searing South Australia 40 degree heat - too much of a contrast to the cool winter of the Spanish Sierra.

When the small group that had counted Juan Carlos among their number was finally recaptured, it signalled the outbreak of some of the most exciting racing of this excellent race. With just a handful of seconds separating the first dozen or so riders, the 13 second lead that Nicolai Bo Larsen stole yesterday was always likely to be threatened, and that shaped the vicious attacks that piled in during the closing stages today. Larsen was soon reeling against the ropes, as the race split and split again, the Dane eventually losing contact with a spearhead of riders including his near rivals Daniele Nardello, Fabio Sacchi, Pat Jonker, Kai Hundertmark and the Credit Agricole axis of Jenner, Poilvet and O'Grady.

The smart money was on race orchestrator O'Grady, but a clever counter attack by Daniele Nardello within the last two kilometres set a blue touchpaper of panic alight in the Credit Agricole ranks, and O'Grady was forced into a desperate chase, sapping his fearsome finishing speed. Coolly waiting for the Credit Agricole chase to succeed was the man with the craft for today's finish, the popular and experienced German Kai Hundertmark, who thwarted Pete Rogers' spirited lunge to take both the stage and the race lead.

The race organisers will be beaming tonight, as Hundertmark's win sets up a dramatic finale in front of an expected 100,000 fans in Adelaide, who will be screaming for Stuart O'Grady. Every last one of them will be squeezing every last drop out of their hometown boy, as he now lies on equal time with Hundertmark, with bonus seconds galore available around the city centre circuit. Two sprint laps and the final finish line carry the means to victory for any one of eight riders - but for them, only one result will do.

Report by John Deering