Sanchez wins 5th stage of Tour Down Under; Armstrong’s victory hopes end

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Sanchez wins 5th stage of Tour Down Under

ADELAIDE, Australia — The second haul up Old Willunga Hill gave Luis Leon Sanchez a fifth-stage win in the Tour Down Under on Saturday and ended Lance Armstrong’s winning chances.

The two long climbs up the steepest hill of the six-day race often defines the stage and tour and Armstrong missed the break that delivered a stage win to the Spaniard.

Sanchez, the 2005 Tour winner, made the crucial break of the 92.5-mile stage as the field of 129 riders toiled up Old Willunga for the second time, thousands of spectators pressing in from the roadsides.

With Spanish compatriot Alejandro Valverde, Australian world champion Cadel Evans and 19-year-old Slovakian Peter Sagan, Sanchez built a 40-second lead over the peleton.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong came in 33rd, nine seconds behind the stage winner.

United States road champion George Hincapie was 29th in Saturday’s stage and is 13th overall, 30 seconds off the lead, while Armstrong is 24th on general classification, 47 seconds behind Germany’s Andre Greipel of U.S.-based Team Columbia.

Asked how he had felt on the hot, windy ride to the top of Old Willunga, Armstrong said: “Good the first time, bad the second.

“It was to be expected. The two Spanish guys and Cadel we all thought were going to be the strongest ones. I was just a little stuffed back on the second time up. I was in a bad position behind a couple of guys and I couldn’t make that front group.

“I was just far enough back that they were gone. No excuses, it was my fault. We all know where it (Willunga Hill) is. It shouldn’t surprise anybody.”

Sanchez made his move less than a kilometer from the finish line in Willunga township, winning the stage in 3 hours, 29 minutes, 39 seconds — two seconds ahead of Australia’s Luke Roberts, who emerged late from the bunch.

Valverde was third, another two seconds back. Evans was fourth, also four seconds behind Sanchez.

With time bonuses, Sanchez cut into the overall race lead of Greipel.

Greipel wasn’t able to launch the sprint that won him the first, second and fourth stages and finished 17th on the stage, nine seconds behind Sanchez.

“I would not be in the jersey for another day without my teammates,” Greipel said. “They were just awesome and I am happy that the guys supported me so well today. They deserve the jersey. Every climb is difficult for a sprinter and I was on the maximum the whole time.

“When riders like Valverde attack, there is not point trying to go with him. We didn’t panic and just kept our steady speed and my teammates surrounded me and stayed with me which is great.”

Saturday’s stage took riders from Snapper Point, on the coast of South Australia state, inland to their rendezvous with Willunga Hill.

Riders passed five times through leafy Willunga township, first as they made three laps of a circuit that took them back to the coast, then twice as they toiled over the 400-meter peak.

“It was a hard day, windy,” Armstrong said. “It was exciting just from a spectator standpoint and we were all spectators today. It was pretty intense watching it. Great bike racing.”