Adelaide, Australia – Three-times road race world champion Oscar Freire rolled back the years to win a sprint finish on the fourth stage of the Tour Down Under in South Australia on Friday.
The 35-year-old Spaniard led a breakaway group of around 50 riders across the line in three hours, eight minutes and 34 seconds at Tanunda in the wine region of Barossa after the 130km trek from Norwood.
Overnight leader Andre Greipel of Lotto-Belisol finished eight minutes adrift, allowing Switzerland's Martin Kohler, who was in the lead group, to regain the Ochre jersey he had held after the second stage.
BMC rider Kohler holds a two-second advantage over Australian Michael Matthews, who is riding for Rabobank, and Freire, who is in his first race for Russian team Katusha, with the race likely to be decided in Saturday's fifth stage.
“I didn't expect to be back in the lead but we dropped Andre Greipel on the climb and then we were riding hard to make the gap bigger,” Kohler told reporters.
“Tomorrow there will be 10 or 15 riders contesting the win at the top of Willunga Hill. It's going to be very hard and I don't know if I can keep this lead or not but I'm already happy with what I'm doing here.”
The fifth stage is a 151.5km ride from McLaren Vale to Old Willunga Hill before the race finishes in Adelaide on Sunday. – Reuters