“That’s unbelievable…he also got a knock; a kangaroo.”
While Vine was able to stay in the race, he lost Danish teammate Mikkel Bjerg to injury after a crash with 95 kilometers to go in the stage. At least several other drivers were also forced out of the race due to injuries sustained in the crash
Colombia’s Juan Molano also went solo from the stage, leaving Vine with just two teammates, British star Adam Yates and Portugal’s Ivo Oliveira.
But the Australian was the strongest driver of the race and went into the last stage with a lead of one minute and three seconds.
Countryman Pat Jonker is the only other winner of the Tour Down Under, winning by more than a minute at 1:13 in 2004. Twice, the overall result was decided by a countdown.
It was another day of drama at the Tour, with four people protesting against Santos as the main sponsor of the Tour arrested after trying to disrupt the races.
It was the longest stage in Tour history at 169.8 km after Saturday’s Willunga stage was shortened from 176 to 131 km due to fire risk.
The eight circuits at Stirling in the Adelaide Hills were raced in cooler temperatures than Saturday’s 40-plus oven, but still in the 30s.
529 meters were climbed per lap, which means 3,436 m per stage.
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Australians Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) and Rob Stannard (Bahrain Victorious) were in a group of four that built up a lead of more than three minutes, but never had much of a gap.
The rest of the break was caught at the start of the final round.
Plapp’s Swiss team-mate Mauro Schmid started the stage second overall and Jayco AlUla probed their tactics in an attempt to take the lead from Vine.
But they knew it would take something massive for Vine to lose the Tour.
Australia’s Harry Sweeny (EF Education Easypost) was third overall in 1:12 in an impressive performance.
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