It has been a productive Tour for the two Australian teams invited to compete against the WorldTour elite – Drapac and UniSA-Australia – who have made sure they do full justice to their wildcard selections in their home race. For Drapac, Will Clarke’s presence in the breaks during the first two stages, and then Travis Meyer’s efforts in stage three have ensured plenty of exposure, while the latter was among the riders working hard at the front of the bunch for sprinter Jonathan Cantwell in stage four. For UniSA-Australia meanwhile, they stand to pull off a great result thanks to 20-year-old Jack Haig.
The national under-23 mountain bike champion has hardly blazed a trail at the Tour so far, but he is reaping the rewards for his consistency after riding into the white jersey in stage four. One of only two of the ‘young riders’ to make the split, Haig finished in the leading group and now leads former leader – Vuelta a Espana stage winner Kenny Elissonde (FDJ.fr) by more than 13 minutes. Just 20, he is also bold enough to predict stage five’s summit finish on Old Willunga Hill suits his riding style and so he fully expects to hold the 1’19” lead he has over Carlos Verona (Omega Pharma-Quickstep). A respectable 23rd overall – level on time with Frank Schleck (Trek Factory Racing) among others – Haig’s Tour Down Under debut has, so far, shown plenty of promise for the future.
