The riders at Santos Tour Down Under faced the queen stage today, as the general classification had to be settled on the top finish to Willunga Hill. The day saw Richie Porte (Team Sky) take the stage win, while Tinkoff-Saxo’s Michael Rogers was struggling on the final few kilometers and lost time to his rivals. Sport Director Lars Michaelsen elaborates on the stage:
 
“Today was fast and the team did a really good job in making sure that Michael Rogers was a part of the front group, when the peloton split the first time up Willunga Hill. Mick has been strong during Tour Down Under, but he lost contact to the favorites on the final stretch up Willunga Hill, when Porte attacked, which unfortunately cost him his top place in the GC”. 

Stage 5 with 151km from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill got off to another quick start with early attacks. After several escapes, which were reeled in, a trio formed. However they never got a significant advantage over the pack, and they were caught just before the first of two passes up Willunga Hill with 30 km to go.
 
On the 3km climb the peloton was trimmed down and split into groups. Tinkoff-Saxo efforts to position Michael Rogers in the front group of favorites were successful and the team captain went into the final climb together with his GC rivals.
 
“Things got serious moving into the final 30km, where the peloton had to pass Willunga Hill twice. We knew the importance of not being caught in the back on Willunga Hill first time up. We were one of the teams leading into the climb to assure a good position for Mick. We realized that the wind would play a part and we also saw several splits in the front group going into the final climb”, explains Lars Michaelsen. 

Consequently, the front group went into the final climb in the red zone and several teammates of the race favorites continued to set a grueling pace. Richie Porte attacked with 1,2km to go and eventually dropped race leader Rohan Dennis (BMC). Porte took the stage win, while Dennis kept his overall lead with just two seconds. Tinkoff-Saxo’s Michael Rogers finished 15th on the stage and slides back into 12th in the overall classification 1:00 down on Dennis.