Photo gallery: Stage 2 of the 2017 Santos Tour Down Under

January 18, 2017
1 minute read

Richie Porte (BMC) came into the 2017 Santos Tour Down Under as one of the riders to beat. He skipped the Australian Road Nationals to give the TDU his full focus, and looked fit and focused when he turned up to the People’s Choice Classic on Sunday.

And on stage 2 today, he showed why he was one of the big pre-race favourites. The Tasmanian punched away from the peloton on the stage-ending climb to Paracombe and rode to victory, not just in the stage but most likely in the race overall as well.

It was a demonstrative display from the 31-year-old. Last time the race visited Paracombe, in 2015, Porte lost five seconds to then-rival and now-teammate Rohan Dennis. He went on to lose the tour overall by just two seconds. This time around Porte attacked from further out and got the gap he needed.

It’s still a few days until we’ll find out whether Porte can defend his overall lead on Willunga Hill and indeed whether he can win there for the fourth year in a row. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the following gallery of images from stage 2 of the 2017 Tour Down Under.

: Another day, another adoring crowd for Peter Sagan.

: The shoes of the world champion.

: Esteban Chaves seems genuinely happy whenever he’s interviewed, unlike many others in the peloton.

: Cameron Meyer and Ondrej Cink established the first break of stage 2, but they didn’t last long out front.

: Jasha Sutterlin broke clear once the previous leaders were caught, and he led for several hours as the peloton rode laps of the Stirling circuit.

: Orica-Scott rode the front for a portion of the day.

: Caleb Ewan, in the ochre jersey of overall race leader, did some time on the front, but was eventually distanced on the final climb.

: Come the final climb and Richie Porte was bursting off the front … and opening up a sizeable gap on his rivals.

: The Tasmanian went on to finish 16 seconds ahead of second place – a margin that should be more than enough to win the Tour Down Under.

: Netting third on the Paracombe stage of the Santos Tour Down Under. That ride plus his third at Willunga Hill paved the way for his second place overall.