2011 Tour Down Under
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Tour Down Under was the 13th edition of the Tour Down Under
stage race. It took place from 18 January to 23 January and was the first race of the 2011 UCI World Tour
. The Tour was preceded by the Cancer Council Classic race, on Sunday, 16 January, that consisted in a circuit of 30 laps around the Rymill Park in Adelaide's East End
, totaling 51 kilometres (32 mi).
The race was won by rider Cameron Meyer
, after holding onto the leader's ochre jersey which came from a breakaway stage win on stage four. Meyer's winning margin over runner-up and fellow Australian Matthew Goss
– winner of the first stage of the race – was just two seconds, the equal second smallest margin in the race's history. 's Ben Swift
– a stage winner on the second and final stages – completed the podium, eight seconds down on Meyer.
In the race's other classifications, overall winner Meyer also guaranteed himself the black jersey for the highest placed rider under the age of 26, and Goss took home the blue jersey for amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes. UniSA
rider Luke Roberts
won the King of the Mountains classification, with finishing at the head of the teams classification.
of marked his first appearance ever. Germany's André Greipel
left Mark Cavendish's team of in 2010 and joined , creating a rivalry between two top sprinters. Greipel
, the leader of tried to took full advantage of his captaincy and win his third Tour Down Under
.
Although he was not expected to be an overall contender, the 2011 Tour marks Lance Armstrong
's last race outside the U.S. as a professional cyclist.
UCI ProTeams:
Teams awarded a wildcard invitation:
, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on each stage and in intermediate sprints, the leader received an ochre jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Tour Down Under, and the winner was considered the winner of the Tour.
Additionally, there was a sprint classification
, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprint classification, cyclists earned points for finishing in the top three in a stage or intermediate sprint, with the top three finishers in the stage getting 8, 6, and 4 points respectively, and the top three in the intermediate sprints getting 6, 4, and 2.
There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a white jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Unlike most other cycling events, there was no categorization of climbs as each awards the same points (16, 12, 8, 6, and 4) to the first five riders past the summit.
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification. This classification awarded a black jersey.
Due to UCI rules limiting the number of jersey awards to four, the above are the only jerseys awarded to riders which were then worn the next day during the stage. But there were two other jerseys. The first was the red jersey for the most aggressive rider. This award was comparable to the combativity award
of the Tour de France
. While the rider received a red jersey on the podium after the stage, he wore his normal jersey (unless holding one of the above four) in the next stage, with the aggressive rider award indicated by a red bib number.
The sixth and final jersey was for the teams classification. This jersey was not presented on the podiums daily, but it was awarded to the winning team at the end of the Tour. The teams classification was calculated by adding the times of each team's best four riders per stage per day. The jersey was blue.
Tour Down Under
The Tour Down Under is a cycling race in Adelaide, South Australia and surrounding area. The race starts on the third Tuesday of January each year and attracts riders from across Australia and the world. In 2005, the Tour Down Under was promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale to the...
stage race. It took place from 18 January to 23 January and was the first race of the 2011 UCI World Tour
2011 UCI World Tour
The 2011 UCI World Tour was the third edition of the ranking system launched by the International Cycling Union in 2009. The series started with the Tour Down Under's opening stage on 18 January, and consisted of 14 stage races and 13 one-day races, culminating in the Giro di Lombardia on 15...
. The Tour was preceded by the Cancer Council Classic race, on Sunday, 16 January, that consisted in a circuit of 30 laps around the Rymill Park in Adelaide's East End
East End, Adelaide
The East End is a small part of the Adelaide central business district, close to East Terrace and North Terrace. This area is a popular office and retail district and has an increasing residential interest from the building of high-density luxury apartments in the area.The retail centre of the East...
, totaling 51 kilometres (32 mi).
The race was won by rider Cameron Meyer
Cameron Meyer
Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland...
, after holding onto the leader's ochre jersey which came from a breakaway stage win on stage four. Meyer's winning margin over runner-up and fellow Australian Matthew Goss
Matthew Goss
Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling...
– winner of the first stage of the race – was just two seconds, the equal second smallest margin in the race's history. 's Ben Swift
Ben Swift
Benjamin Swift is an English professional track and road racing cyclist who currently rides for Team Sky.-Biography:...
– a stage winner on the second and final stages – completed the podium, eight seconds down on Meyer.
In the race's other classifications, overall winner Meyer also guaranteed himself the black jersey for the highest placed rider under the age of 26, and Goss took home the blue jersey for amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes. UniSA
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
rider Luke Roberts
Luke Roberts
Luke Roberts is an Australian racing cyclist specialising in both track cycling and road bicycle racing, on for road racing....
won the King of the Mountains classification, with finishing at the head of the teams classification.
Overall favourites
The 2011 Tour Down Under was a very exciting race this year as Mark CavendishMark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
of marked his first appearance ever. Germany's André Greipel
Andre Greipel
André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany...
left Mark Cavendish's team of in 2010 and joined , creating a rivalry between two top sprinters. Greipel
Andre Greipel
André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany...
, the leader of tried to took full advantage of his captaincy and win his third Tour Down Under
Tour Down Under
The Tour Down Under is a cycling race in Adelaide, South Australia and surrounding area. The race starts on the third Tuesday of January each year and attracts riders from across Australia and the world. In 2005, the Tour Down Under was promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale to the...
.
Although he was not expected to be an overall contender, the 2011 Tour marks Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
's last race outside the U.S. as a professional cyclist.
Participating teams
As the Tour Down Under was a UCI World Tour event, all UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad.UCI ProTeams:
Teams awarded a wildcard invitation:
|
Schedule
| Stage | Route | Distance | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mawson Lakes Mawson Lakes, South Australia Mawson Lakes is a suburb and new residential development in the City of Salisbury, Adelaide, with the first land being released in 1998. It has a census area population of 5,246 people. The suburb is located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide around 12 km north of the Central business... > Angaston |
138 km (85.7 mi) | Tuesday, 18 January | |
| 2 | Tailem Bend Tailem Bend, South Australia Tailem Bend is a town on the Murray River in South Australia. The town was proclaimed in 1887, the year after the main railway came through. At the 2006 census, Tailem Bend had a population of 1,457.... > Mannum |
146 km (90.7 mi) | Wednesday, 19 January | |
| 3 | Unley Unley, South Australia Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The relatively wealthy area lies within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club, an SANFL team... > Stirling Stirling, South Australia Stirling is a town located in the Adelaide Hills. It is administered by the Adelaide Hills Council. Its population is about 2500, though the town has largely merged with neighbouring townships such as Crafers and Aldgate. The towns closely surrounding it are: Aldgate, Crafers, Bridgewater and... |
129 km (80.2 mi) | Thursday, 20 January | |
| 4 | Norwood Norwood, South Australia Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, the oldest South Australian local government municipality, with a city population over 34,000.-History:... > Strathalbyn Strathalbyn, South Australia Strathalbyn is a town in South Australia, in the Alexandrina Council. The town has a population of 3894 people.-History and Culture:The town was founded in 1839. Strathalbyn was once connected by broad gauge horse tram to Goolwa and Victor Harbor from 1869, and the line was extended to Mount Barker... |
124 km (77.1 mi) | Friday, 21 January | |
| 5 | McLaren Vale McLaren Vale, South Australia McLaren Vale is a township in the wine region of McLaren Vale in South Australia. At the 2006 census, McLaren Vale had a population of 2,908.... > Willunga Willunga, South Australia Willunga is a town south of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga local government area. It is 5 km away from the wine growing region of McLaren Vale and is approx. 47 km from the Adelaide CBD... |
131 km (81.4 mi) | Saturday, 22 January | |
| 6 | Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... > Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... |
90 km (55.9 mi) | Sunday, 23 January |
Stage 1, Mawson Lakes to Angaston
Stage 1 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 1
|
Stage 2, Tailem Bend to Mannum
Stage 2 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 2
|
Stage 3, Unley to Stirling
Stage 3 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 3
|
Stage 4, Norwood to Strathalbyn
Stage 4 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 4
|
Stage 5, McLaren Vale to Willunga
Stage 5 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 5
|
Stage 6, Adelaide to Adelaide
Stage 6 Result
|
Final General Classification
|
Classification leadership
In the 2011 Tour Down Under, six different jerseys were awarded. For the general classificationGeneral Classification
The general classification in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races...
, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on each stage and in intermediate sprints, the leader received an ochre jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Tour Down Under, and the winner was considered the winner of the Tour.
Additionally, there was a sprint classification
Points classification
The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning intermediate sprints. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and therefore is often known as the Sprint Classification;...
, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprint classification, cyclists earned points for finishing in the top three in a stage or intermediate sprint, with the top three finishers in the stage getting 8, 6, and 4 points respectively, and the top three in the intermediate sprints getting 6, 4, and 2.
There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a white jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Unlike most other cycling events, there was no categorization of climbs as each awards the same points (16, 12, 8, 6, and 4) to the first five riders past the summit.
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification. This classification awarded a black jersey.
Due to UCI rules limiting the number of jersey awards to four, the above are the only jerseys awarded to riders which were then worn the next day during the stage. But there were two other jerseys. The first was the red jersey for the most aggressive rider. This award was comparable to the combativity award
Combativity award
The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...
of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. While the rider received a red jersey on the podium after the stage, he wore his normal jersey (unless holding one of the above four) in the next stage, with the aggressive rider award indicated by a red bib number.
The sixth and final jersey was for the teams classification. This jersey was not presented on the podiums daily, but it was awarded to the winning team at the end of the Tour. The teams classification was calculated by adding the times of each team's best four riders per stage per day. The jersey was blue.
| Stage | Winner | General Classification |
Mountains Classification |
Sprint Classification |
Young Rider Classification |
Team Classification |
Aggressive Rider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Luke Roberts Luke Roberts Luke Roberts is an Australian racing cyclist specialising in both track cycling and road bicycle racing, on for road racing.... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Simon Clarke Simon Clarke (cyclist) Simon Clarke is a professional Australian road and former track cyclist, currently riding for Astana. On the 23rd August 2011, Clarke announced he was signing for new Australian team GreenEDGE for 2012... |
|
| 2 | Ben Swift Ben Swift Benjamin Swift is an English professional track and road racing cyclist who currently rides for Team Sky.-Biography:... |
Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, for on the UCI ProTour, specializing in sprint finishes... |
Mitchell Docker | Yuriy Krivtsov Yuriy Krivtsov Yuriy Krivtsov is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Ukrainian by birth, he became a naturalized French citizen in May 2010, and was able to change his nationality per the UCI effective with the 2011 season.- Palmares :1996... |
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| 3 | Michael Matthews Michael Matthews (cyclist) Michael Matthews is an Australian track and road cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . In 2010 he became the Under 23 Road Race World Champion.- Results :2008... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Luke Durbridge Luke Durbridge Luke Durbridge is an Australian road and track cyclist specialising in the individual time trial, road races, and various track cycling events. He started cycling at 14 years of age, competing in Triathlons, and is now the youngest ever medal winner in the U23 Individual time trial of the UCI Road... |
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| 4 | Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland... |
Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland... |
Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam Vacansoleil-DCM. He previously rode for .-Palmares:20072008... |
Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland... |
Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam Vacansoleil-DCM. He previously rode for .-Palmares:20072008... |
||
| 5 | Francisco Ventoso Francisco Ventoso Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi is a Spanish road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . Ventoso turned professional with in 2004 before moving to in 2008. He won the 2010 Paris-Bruxelles in a bunch sprint... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Richie Porte Richie Porte Richard "Richie" Porte is an Australian professional road bicycle racer on . In his first year in the UCI Pro Tour, Porte has been a consistent performer in the General classification at several stage races.... |
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| 6 | Ben Swift Ben Swift Benjamin Swift is an English professional track and road racing cyclist who currently rides for Team Sky.-Biography:... |
Stuart O'Grady Stuart O'Grady Stuart O'Grady OAM , nicknamed Stuey, is an Australian professional road bicycle racer on UCI ProTeam , who started as a track cyclist. He and Graeme Brown won a gold medal in Men's Madison at the 2004 Summer Olympics... |
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| Final | Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland... |
Luke Roberts Luke Roberts Luke Roberts is an Australian racing cyclist specialising in both track cycling and road bicycle racing, on for road racing.... |
Matthew Goss Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss is an Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, currently riding for the UCI ProTour outfit .-Career:Goss started in the business with track cycling... |
Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland... |
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