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HTC-HighRoad’s Matthew Goss takes Stage 1 at Tour Down Under

  • By VeloNews.com
  • Published Jan. 18, 2011
  • Updated Jan. 18, 2011 at 12:28 PM EDT
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Stuart O'Grady sports his new Leopard-Trek kit.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Matt Goss wins Stage 1, his second win of the week.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Richie Porte , Saxo Bank Sungard, works his way through the caravan.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Danny Pate, drifts back to his team car.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: The five-man break stayed out until the sprinters' teams got down to work. | Graham Watson Photo - GrahamWatson.com
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Cameron Meyer , Garmin-Cervelo, on Stage 1.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Julian Loubet leads the five-man break through a turn.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Armstrong stayed relaxed in the peloton.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Matt Hayman leads the chase for team Sky.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: The peloton gradually ramps up the chase.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Simon Clarke leads the break.
  • 2011 Tour Down Under: Robbie McEwen and Mark Cavendish know that their work won't start until the end of the stage.

HTC-HighRoad’s Matthew Goss showed he is a serious contender for the overall title at the Tour Down Under by winning the opening stage Tuesday, finishing ahead of sprint rival, former teammate and reigning champion Andre Greipel.

Greipel, who has won the overall title twice, finished in second place for his new team Omega-Pharma with Australian Robbie McEwen of RadioShack in third.

Held over 138 kilometers (85 miles) from Mawson Lakes to Angaston in the hilly wine region outside Adelaide, the first stage proper was marked by an early five-man breakaway.

The five escapees were reeled in with less than 10km remaining, guaranteeing a field sprint on a slightly uphill home straight, where Goss jumped out from behind the wheel of lead-out man Mark Renshaw to surge to a convincing victory.

It was Goss’s second win of the week, the Australian having also won the Cancer Council Classic criterium over 51km on Sunday, an event does not count towards the overall classifications of the Tour Down Under.

After some textbook lead-out work by his sprint train, Goss finished off the job in style ─ and was quick to share the glory with fellow Aussie Renshaw.

“With the work that Renshaw did today it was hard not to win,” said the 24-year-old Goss, who has come into this event on form having won the Bay Crits series and finished second at the national championships road race.

“It’s an ideal start, but there’s still five stages left in the race.”

Greipel quit the HTC-HighRoad team last year in a bid to boost career that has been affected by the dominance of former teammate Mark Cavendish, who filled the role as the team’s marquee sprinter.

The German admitted his opening sprint of the season did not quite go as planned.

“With around 400 meters to go I got a little bit boxed in, so I had to start my sprint early,” he said.

“Then Gossy came up” beside him “and so I had to relaunch my sprint again.”

“Goss is the strongest guy here so far,” Greipel noted. “But this was a good warm-up and finishing second is a good confidence boost for me and the team.”

In Sunday’s criterium McEwen impressed with a third place finish having had to relaunch his sprint from scratch after being caught behind the leaders following a late crash.

Despite being caught out by several sprint trains Tuesday, the Queenslander showed he should be one to be reckoned with this week.

South African teammate Robbie Hunter helped McEwen plug a gap during the hectic finale, but when it came to the final effort the Aussie had little left to give.

“I lost position a little bit but coming into the last kilometer Robbie Hunter did a tremendous job to bring me back to the front. We must have passed 50 guys to come back onto third wheel,” said McEwen.

“But when you come from that far you eventually get in position but you’re legless, and I actually didn’t have much left in the sprint at all.”

STAGE 1

  • 1. Matthew Goss, HTC-Highroad, 138 kilometers in 3:17:08
  • 2. Andre Greipel, Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t.
  • 3. Robbie McEwen, Radio Shack, s.t.
  • 4. Chris Sutton, Sky Procycling, s.t.
  • 5. Elia Viviani, Liquigas-Cannondale, s.t.
  • 6. Romain Feillu, Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
  • 7. Alessandro Ballan, BMC, s.t.
  • 8. Inaki Isasi, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 9. Jose Joaquin Rojas, Movistar, s.t.
  • 10. Greg Henderson, Sky Procycling, s.t.
  • 11. Manuele Mori, Lampre-ISD, s.t.
  • 12. Baden Cooke, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
  • 13. Mirko Selvaggi, Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
  • 14. Stuart O’Grady, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 15. Allan Davis, Astana, s.t.
  • 16. Denis Galimzyanov, Katusha, s.t.
  • 17. Simon Gerrans, Sky Procycling, s.t.
  • 18. Eduard Vorganov, Katusha, s.t.
  • 19. John Murphy, BMC, s.t.
  • 20. Francisco Ventoso, Movistar, s.t.
  • 21. Pieter Weening, Rabobank, s.t.
  • 22. Julien Loubet, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 23. Ben Hermans, Radio Shack, s.t.
  • 24. Luke Roberts, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 25. Fabio Sabatini, Liquigas-Cannondale, s.t.
  • 26. Bernard Sulzberger, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 27. Julian Dean, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 28. Kristof Goddaert, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 29. Sergey Lagutin, Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
  • 30. Blel Kadri, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 31. Laurens ten Dam, Rabobank, s.t.
  • 32. Simone Ponzi, Liquigas-Cannondale, s.t.
  • 33. Francesco Reda, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 34. Michael Matthews, Rabobank, s.t.
  • 35. Aleksandr Kuschynski, Katusha, s.t.
  • 36. Mitchell Docker, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 37. Jonathan Cantwell, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 38. Ruben Perez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 39. Luis Pasamontes, Movistar, s.t.
  • 40. Wesley Sulzberger, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 41. Amal Moinard, BMC, s.t.
  • 42. Davide Malacarne, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 43. Alberto Ongarato, Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
  • 44. Rob Ruijgh, Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
  • 45. Manuel Cardoso, Radio Shack, s.t.
  • 46. Gerald Ciolek, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 47. Stefan Denifl, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 48. Juan Horrach, Katusha, s.t.
  • 49. Cameron Meyer, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 50. Davide Vigano, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 51. Martin Kohler, BMC, s.t.
  • 52. David Lopez, Movistar, s.t.
  • 53. Yuriy Krivtsov, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 54. Addy Engels, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 55. Valentin Iglinskiy, Astana, s.t.
  • 56. Andriy Grivko, Astana, s.t.
  • 57. Jurgen Roelandts, Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t.
  • 58. Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Movistar, s.t.
  • 59. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 60. Cameron Wurf, Liquigas-Cannondale, s.t.
  • 61. Gorka Izagirre, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 62. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Highroad, s.t.
  • 63. Tanel Kangert, Astana, s.t.
  • 64. Ben Swift, Sky Procycling, s.t.
  • 65. Aitor Perez Arrieta, Lampre-ISD, s.t.
  • 66. Nicki Srensen, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
  • 67. Ivan Velasco, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 68. Vitaliy Buts, Lampre-ISD, s.t.
  • 69. Mathieu Perget, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 70. Travis Meyer, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 71. Serguei Ivanov, Katusha, s.t.
  • 72. Steve Houanard, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 73. William Clarke, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 74. Geraint Thomas, Sky Procycling, s.t.
  • 75. Richie Porte, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
  • 76. Jon Izaguirre, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 77. David Tanner, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
  • 78. Marco Bandiera, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 79. Luke Durbridge, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 80. Hayden Roulston, HTC-Highroad, s.t.
  • 81. Lance Armstrong, Radio Shack, s.t.
  • 82. Markel Irizar, Radio Shack, s.t.
  • 83. Kristijan Koren, Liquigas-Cannondale, s.t.
  • 84. Mark Renshaw, HTC-Highroad, s.t.
  • 85. Angel Madrazo, Movistar, s.t.
  • 86. Alexander Kristoff, BMC, s.t.
  • 87. Simon Zahner, BMC, s.t.
  • 88. Julien Vermote, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 89. Daniel Sesma, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 90. Michael Hepburn, Uni SA-Australia, s.t.
  • 91. Simon Clarke, Astana, s.t.
  • 92. Graeme Brown, Rabobank, s.t.
  • 93. Martin Pedersen, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 94. Timothy Roe, BMC, s.t.
  • 95. Francesco Chicchi, Quickstep, s.t.
  • 96. Dimitri Champion, Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
  • 97. Jurgen Van De Walle, Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t.
  • 98. Jack Bobridge, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 99. Tom Leezer, Rabobank, s.t.
  • 100. Matthew Wilson, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 101. Joost Van Leijen, Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
  • 102. Alfredo Balloni, Lampre-ISD, s.t.
  • 103. Bruno Pires, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 104. Yevgeniy Nepomnyachshiy, Astana, s.t.
  • 105. Mathew Hayman, Sky Procycling, s.t.
  • 106. Nikolay Trusov, Katusha, s.t.
  • 107. Robbie Hunter, Radio Shack, s.t.
  • 108. Martin Mortensen, Leopard Trek, s.t.
  • 109. Jose Vicente Garcia, Movistar, s.t.
  • 110. Brian Vandborg, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
  • 111. Stijn Vandenbergh, Katusha, s.t.
  • 112. Miguel Minguez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.
  • 113. Alessandro Spezialetti, Lampre-ISD, s.t.
  • 114. Danny Pate, HTC-Highroad, s.t.
  • 115. Brett Lancaster, Garmin-Cervelo, s.t.
  • 116. Davide Cimolai, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 0:17
  • 117. Marcel Sieberg, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 0:18
  • 118. Thomas De Gendt, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:28
  • 119. Alan Marangoni, Liquigas-Cannondale, s.t.
  • 120. Daniele Righi, Lampre-ISD, at 0:39
  • 121. Matteo Bono, Lampre-ISD, s.t.
  • 122. Coen Vermeltfoort, Rabobank, at 0:45
  • 123. Maxim Gourov, Astana, s.t.
  • 124. Michael Rogers, Sky Procycling, at 0:53
  • 125. Bert Grabsch, HTC-Highroad, at 1:11
  • 126. Jose van Emden, Rabobank, at 1:25
  • 127. Bernhard Eisel, HTC-Highroad, at 1:28
  • 128. Sebastian Haedo, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 1:33
  • 129. Juan Jose Haedo, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
  • 130. Olivier Kaisen, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:37
  • 131. Adam Hansen, Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t.
  • 132. Vicente Reynes, Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t.
  • 133. Gregory Rast, Radio Shack, at 0:00

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