The Town Down Under has given many things to a sport whose greatest contests take place in Europe, not least the vicarious pleasure of a sunny day, glimpsed from 12,000 miles away in a photograph or television footage.
Perhaps its greatest gift, however, is Old Willunga Hill, a slope to rival any of the muurs of the Ardennes: Adelaide’s own Cauberg or La Redoute.
Richie Porte, one of the finest climbers in the business, needed no second invitation to leave a mark on his home race, comfortably seeing off the challenge of countryman, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE), again the race leader, who had finished first and second (on both occasions by the narrowest margin) on his last two visits to the summit of Old Willunga Hill.
Official UCI WorldTour photographer, Stefano Sirotti, was among the thousands who awaited the arrival of the riders on Old Willunga’s vicious gradients. His pictures, we’re sure you’ll agree, were worth the effort.
