Impey Wins First Back-to-Back Tour Down Under Titles
ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) - South Africa's Daryl Impey hung on up the torturous final Willunga Hill to become the first cyclist to win back-to-back titles at Australia's Tour Down Under outside Adelaide on Sunday.
Mitchelton-Scott's Impey, who won last year's UCI season-opening event on countback, dug in to take this year's general classification behind sixth-stage winner Richie Porte of Australia up the physically-demanding three-kilometer (1.9-mile) climb to the finish line.
Impey, with a total time of 20 hours 30 minutes 42 seconds, beat Porte by 13 seconds for the race with Dutchman Wouter Poels of Sky Team a further four seconds away in third place overall.
No one has won consecutive titles in the 21 years of the Tour Down Under, while Porte, the 2017 Tour winner, has been runner-up four times.
*******Overall race winner South African rider Daryl Impey is the first cyclist to win consecutive titles in the 21 years of the Tour Down Under
Mitchelton-Scott's Impey, who won last year's UCI season-opening event on countback, dug in to take this year's general classification behind sixth-stage winner Richie Porte of Australia up the physically-demanding three-kilometer (1.9-mile) climb to the finish line.
Impey, with a total time of 20 hours 30 minutes 42 seconds, beat Porte by 13 seconds for the race with Dutchman Wouter Poels of Sky Team a further four seconds away in third place overall.
No one has won consecutive titles in the 21 years of the Tour Down Under, while Porte, the 2017 Tour winner, has been runner-up four times.
*******Overall race winner South African rider Daryl Impey is the first cyclist to win consecutive titles in the 21 years of the Tour Down Under