Tour Down Under 2002

Tour Down Under 2002
Host country	Australia
Competition period	January 15-20, 2002
Stages	6 stages
overall length	733 kilometers
Starting field	96 in 12 teams (92 of which arrived at the finish)
← Tour Down Under 2001	Tour Down Under 2003 →

Final score

First	Michael Rogers	16:59:44 h
Second	Alexander Bocharov	+ 0:21 min
Third	Patrick Jonker	+ 0:30 min
Fourth	Cadel Evans	+ 0:40 min
fifth	Daniele Nardello	+ 0:58
Sixth	Paul Van Hyfte	+ 3:14 min
seventh	Stuart O'Grady	+ 3:57 min
Eighth	Andrea Tafi	+ 4:36 min
Ninth	Anthony Morin	+ 4:40 min
Tenth	Steffen Wesemann	+ 5:28 min
Sprint scoring	Robbie McEwen	36 P.
Second	Michael Rogers	20 p.
Third	Jans Koerts	18 p.
Mountain scoring	Cadel Evans	48 p.
Second	Russell Van Hout	36 P.
Third	Glenn d'Hollander	28 p.
Young talent evaluation	Dave McPartland	17:12:40 h
Second	Ashley Humbert	+ 20:37 min
Third	Peter Dawson	+ 20:38 min
Team evaluation	Mapei Quickstep	51:05:41 h
Second	Australian Institute of Sport	+ 4:44 min
Third	Ag2r Prévoyance	+ 12:02 min

The 4th Tour Down Under (officially: Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under ) took place from January 15th to 20th, 2002. The cycle race consisted of six stages, starting in the South Australian city ​​of Glenelg and ending in the provincial capital Adelaide . The total distance of the stage race was 733 kilometers, 24 kilometers less than in the previous year. The Tour Down Under was classified in UCI category 2.3.

The participants

The organizing South Australian Tourism Commission again invited three Australian teams, namely United Water , the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of South Australia , which brought an Australian national selection to the start. As in previous years, there were a total of twelve cycling teams at the start, with the Deutsche Telekom , Ag2r Prévoyance , Crédit Agricole , Mapei-Quickstep and Saeco or Domo-Farm Frites team , for example, some of the most well-known teams in the world being invited. A total of nine teams took part, which had already participated in the previous year. Each team consisted of eight drivers.

The Australian drivers who were in the middle of their season were once again considered to be the favorites for overall victory, while the European professionals used the tour primarily to prepare for the season that started in March. Defending champion Stuart O'Grady ( Crédit Agricole ), who also attracted attention at the 2001 Tour de France when he had been the overall lead for several days, attracted particular attention . He was considered a top favorite for winning the Tour Down Under 2002. Other well-known participants were the Estonian sprinter Jaan Kirsipuu from AG2R Prévoyance , the German Steffen Wesemann , who had already achieved top positions in previous races, and his Telekom team-mate Andreas Klöden and Bobby Julich , Andrea Tafi from the Italian team Mapei-Quickstep , the local Bradley McGee , Frédéric Guesdon (both Française Des Jeux ) and Koos Moerenhout , Max van Heeswijk , Fred Rodriguez (all Domo-Farm Frites ), Robbie McEwen from Lotto - Adecco and his Australian compatriot Patrick Jonker from the University of South Australia - delegation.

United Water Australian Institute of Sport University of South Australia

Française Des Jeux AG2R Prévoyance Crédit Agricole

Mapei Quickstep Saeco Lotto Adecco

Domo Farm Fries Team Deutsche Telekom CSC tables

The stages

The highlight of the week-long festival of cycling in Adelaide was the Tour Down Under through the province of South Australia for the fourth time since 1999. As in the previous year, the six-stage tour started in the Adelaid suburb of Glenelg and ended, as in its previous editions, in the provincial capital. The route was at times based on last year's edition, but three new sections were also added to the program. The official stage plan for 2002 was presented to the public in July 2001.

1st stage, Glenelg Street Race

The Tour Down Under began on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 with a 47 kilometer long criterion race in Glenelg. Each of the 25 flat laps in the city center was 1.88 kilometers. After a few breakaway attempts, a leading group formed around Robbie McEwen ( Lotto-Adecco ) and two fellow campaigners in a fast race . Later a ten-man chase group formed with the German Jens Heppner and defending champion Stuart O'Grady . However, this could no longer catch up with the group of the day, which also overtook the peloton two laps before the end, which was then taken out of the race. The local McEwen finally won the sprint of the trio and won the yellow jersey. The time intervals for this stage did not count for the overall ranking. Points for the sprint classification were only awarded in the two intermediate sprints of the day, but not at the finish.

Result Glenelg Street Race

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Robbie McEwen		Lotto Adecco	0:59:14 h
2.	Corey Sweet		University of South Australia	same time
3.	Jans Koerts		Domo Farm Fries	same time
4th	Max Van Heeswijk		Domo Farm Fries	same time
5.	Glenn d'Hollander		Lotto Adecco	same time

2nd stage, Hahndorf - Strathalbyn

The second, 150-kilometer section of the day started east of Glenelg in the town of Hahndorf , which was the starting point for a stage of the race for the first time. The route led first in a loop northwards and back to Hahndorf, where the first mountain classification of the TDU 2002 and two intermediate sprints were passed with the Checker Hill . Then it went south to the destination Strathalbyn. After the second passage from the starting point in Hahndorf, the decisive 15-man group formed around defending champion Stuart O'Grady and the German Steffen Wesemann , who managed to save almost eight minutes ahead of the field at the finish. The young Australian Michael Rogers from the University of South Australia surprisingly won the final sprint ahead of Fabio Sacchi , who took over the overall lead due to the time bonuses gained in the intermediate sprints, and Andrea Tafi .

Result 2nd stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	3:21:52 h
2.	Fabio Sacchi		Saeco	same time
3.	Andrea Tafi		Mapei Quickstep	same time
4th	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	same time
5.	Anthony Morin		Crédit Agricole	same time

Overall ranking after the 2nd stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Fabio Sacchi		Saeco	4:20:59 h
2.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	+ 0:01 min
3.	Andrea Tafi		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:05 min
4th	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	+ 0:07 min
5.	Anthony Morin		Crédit Agricole	same time

3rd stage, Willunga - Willunga

The 149-kilometer third stage was held in Willunga , south of Adelaide . With the Willunga Hill the most difficult ascent of the Tour Down Under was climbed on an additional loop in the last lap. Otherwise, a circuit to be traversed three times with two intermediate sprints led through Willunga and along the beach of McLaren Vale . Robbie McEwen was able to clinch his second stage win in a mass sprint at this year's edition of the tour and took the lead in the points classification , while the German Danilo Hondo came fourth. Previously, Tristan Hoffman ( CSC-Tiscali ) and Glenn d'Hollander ( Lotto-Adecco ) were the two outliers of the day that had determined the race for almost 100 kilometers. Several attacks on Willunga Hill were neutralized from the field.

Result 3rd stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Robbie McEwen		Lotto Adecco	3:38:55 h
2.	Luca Paolini		Mapei Quickstep	same time
3.	Scott Sunderland		Australian Institute of Sport	same time
4th	Danilo Hondo		Team Deutsche Telekom	same time
5.	Gene Bates		University of South Australia	same time

Overall ranking after the 3rd stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Fabio Sacchi		Saeco	7:59:54 h
2.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	+ 0:01 min
3.	Andrea Tafi		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:05 min
4th	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	+ 0:07 min
5.	Paul Van Hyfte		CSC tables	same time

4th stage, Unley - Victor Harbor

On the fourth day, the route led the field over 141 kilometers from the Adelaid suburb of Unley to Victor Harbor in the south of the province, where they did another lap around the place. Two sprint classifications and a mountain classification 36 kilometers from the finish were carried out. The race, which was held in very warm air temperatures of 35 ° C, was determined for a long time by the soloist David Pell ( United Water ). But this was caught by the field, so that there was a mass sprint. As on the first and third stage, Robbie McEwen was unbeatable here and already clinched his third win of the day.

Result 4th stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Robbie McEwen		Lotto Adecco	3:25:50 h
2.	Danilo Hondo		Team Deutsche Telekom	same time
3.	Jaan Kirsipuu		Ag2r Prévoyance	same time
4th	Bathing Cooke		Française Des Jeux	same time
5.	Andrea Tafi		Mapei Quickstep	same time

Overall ranking after the 4th stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Fabio Sacchi		Saeco	11:25:44 h
2.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	+ 0:01 min
3.	Andrea Tafi		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:05 min
4th	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	+ 0:07 min
5.	Paul Van Hyfte		CSC tables	same time

5th stage, Gawler - Tanunda

In the north of the province of South Australia, the penultimate stage took place over 156 kilometers. The course of this section with the start in Gawler and the subsequent two-part circuit around the northern Tanunda in the Barossa region corresponded to that of the two previous years, when this stage had also already been completed. Two sprint classifications and the mountain class to be passed twice on Mengler's Hill were on the way. With air temperatures of up to 44 ° C, the German Kai Hundertmark was also represented in the nine-man breakaway group of the day . On the first passage of Mengler's Hill, however, the escape was thwarted again from the field. After a few attacks that followed, a group of seven formed around second overall, Michael Rogers , and Hundertmark. Despite a defect, Rogers had been able to keep up because a spectator had lent him a suitable spare bike. On the last ascent to Mengler's Hill, the Australian Cadel Evans from Mapei-Quickstep attacked and was able to save a lead of sixteen seconds to the finish. Rogers, who took over the yellow jersey, was runner-up on the day, as the previously leading Fabio Sacchi had been left behind early on. Evans also secured victory in the mountain classification with his attack.

Result 5th stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Cadel Evans		Mapei Quickstep	3:42:21 h
2.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	+ 0:16 min
3.	Daniele Nardello		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:25 min
4th	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	same time
5.	Patrick Jonker		University of South Australia	+ 0:33 min

Overall ranking after the 5th stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	15:08:15 h
2.	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	+ 0:21 min
3.	Patrick Jonker		University of South Australia	+ 0:30 min
4th	Cadel Evans		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:40 min
5.	Daniele Nardello		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:58 min

6th stage, Adelaide City Council Circuit

At the end of the Tour Down Under 2002, a circuit race in the provincial capital Adelaide was traditionally on the program. A total of 20 laps of 4.5 kilometers each (90 kilometers in total) were held on flat terrain. The only difficulty of the day was the short ascent to Montafiore Hill. The 80,000 or so spectators along the way saw many attacks from the field, none of which ultimately led to success. In the mass sprint, the local Robbie McEwen won for the fourth time this year , who also secured the sprint classification. The young Michael Rogers was able to defend his yellow jersey and won the race as the second Australian after Stuart O'Grady (two wins).

Result 6th stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Robbie McEwen		Lotto Adecco	1:51:29 h
2.	Julian Dean		CSC tables	same time
3.	Bathing Cooke		Française Des Jeux	same time
4th	Stefano Zanini		Mapei Quickstep	same time
5.	Jaan Kirsipuu		Ag2r Prévoyance	same time

Overall ranking after the 6th stage

	driver	nation	team	time
1.	Michael Rogers		University of South Australia	16:59:44 h
2.	Alexander Bocharov		Ag2r Prévoyance	+ 0:21 min
3.	Patrick Jonker		University of South Australia	+ 0:30 min
4th	Cadel Evans		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:40 min
5.	Daniele Nardello		Mapei Quickstep	+ 0:58 min

Stage overview

stage	date	Start finish	km	Stage winner	Leader
1st stage	15. January	Glenelg	47	Robbie McEwen	Robbie McEwen
2nd stage	January 16	Hahndorf - Strathalbyn	150	Michael Rogers	Fabio Sacchi
3rd stage	January 17th	Willunga - Willunga	149	Robbie McEwen
4th stage	January 18th	Unley - Victor Harbor	141	Robbie McEwen
5th stage	January 19th	Gawler - Tanunda	156	Cadel Evans	Michael Rogers
6th stage	January 20th	Adelaide	90	Robbie McEwen

Ratings

The point distribution was as follows:

2 intermediate sprints on each stage

1: 6 points, 3 seconds time bonus

2: 4 points, 2 seconds

3: 2 points, 1 second

Finish sprint

1: 8 points, 6 seconds

2: 6 points, 4 seconds

3: 4 points, 2 seconds

Mountain ratings

1: 16 points

2: 12 points

3: 8 points

4: 6 points

5: 4 points

Ratings in the course of the tour

The table shows the leader in the respective classification after the respective stage.

	Overall rating	Scoring	Mountain scoring	Young talent evaluation	Team evaluation
1st stage	Robbie McEwen	Robbie McEwen	-	Dave McPartland	Domo Farm Fries
2nd stage	Fabio Sacchi	Jans Koerts	Scott Sunderland	Mark Renshaw	Australian Institute of Sport
3rd stage		Robbie McEwen		Dave McPartland	Mapei Quickstep
4th stage			Glenn d'Hollander
5th stage	Michael Rogers		Cadel Evans
6th stage

Final score

The Tour Down Under 2002 was dominated by the local Australian riders like never before and never since: All six stages were won by Australians, the overall victory, the sprint, mountain and junior rankings also went to Australians. Robbie McEwen from the Belgian Lotto-Adecco team stood out in particular , who could not be defeated in the mass sprints and was thus ahead on four daily sections and won the points classification. His team also controlled the field on most of the flat stages, so that outliers did not prevail, as was often the case last year.

For overall winner Michael Rogers of the National Team of the University of South Australia , winning the yellow jersey meant the international breakthrough as a cyclist. In the following years he was to become three times world champion in the time trial . He laid the foundation for the overall victory on the second stage, when he was represented in the escape group, the members of which ultimately made the tour win among themselves. Rogers surprisingly won the sprint ahead of the Italian Fabio Sacchi , who took over the yellow, but lost it again to Rogers on the difficult penultimate stage. With Cadel Evans ( Mapei-Quick Step ) is also another young Australians and underlined with the victory in the fifth section and winning the pointed mountain stage his skills on the mountain, which finally led to his 2011 Tour de France should lead -Sieg. Only the team ranking was won by a foreign team, namely the Italians from Mapei-Quickstep, who also placed three drivers in the top ten of the overall ranking.

Web links

• Official website
• Results on Radsportseiten.net
• Reports and results on cyclingnews.com

Remarks

1. ↑ The first number (2) stood for "Etappenrennen"; the second number (3) for the third of five categories ranked by importance.