CYCLING NEWS - Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan surged past world champion Peter Sagan to win the second stage of the Tour Down Under and claim the ochre leader's jersey in the Adelaide Hills town of Stirling on Wednesday.
In a thrilling finish on the uphill climb into Stirling, Ewan clung to Sagan's wheel and pulled out with 100 metres to go, finishing too strongly for the Slovakian, who came in fourth behind Ewan, Daryl Impey and Jay McCarthy at the season-opening event.
Ewan's BMC Racing team brought a strong squad to the Tour Down Under with the aim of securing overall victory for Ewan's fellow countryman Richie Porte.
But Ewan's 10-second time bonus puts him into the leader's jersey, replacing German Andre Greipel, who was dropped from the peloton when the climb began, six kilometres from the finish line.
"It was a super tough finish and it was one that we were all so unsure about whether we'd make it over the top," Ewan said.
"But the boys put me in a perfect position again and they backed me 100 percent even after some results that we weren't hoping for.
"So for them to back me on a stage that probably doesn't even suit me, it means a lot."
Wednesday's race began in sweltering conditions in the inner-city Adelaide suburb of Unley and wound its way through the Adelaide Hills in temperatures reaching as high as 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).
