GreenEDGE to Tour de France
- July 5th, 2013
- Posted by EU Australia
The GreenEDGE Australian team liked conditions on Corsica, and the early time trials to start well in this year’s Tour de France, members wearing the yellow jersey for three days.
Simon Gerrans got to the lead with a win in Stage 3, holding it for the two following stages.
He then, in Stage 6, volunteered to concede five seconds to his team-mate, Daryl Impey, a South African, making him the new race leader for Stage 7, on 5.7.13.
Cadel Evans, with BMC Racing, the first Australian Tour de France winner in 2011, was positioned at 22nd as the seventh Stage got under way. After recent strong race performances he’d been quoted as saying he appreciated doing it this time without the pressure of expectations for a repeat win in the great event.
GreenEDGE reported on its Stage 6 outcome, when the race moved to Aix en Provence, stressing the good will on the team:
Daryl Impey finished in a front group of 16 riders on stage six of the Tour de France to move into the race lead. The South African becomes the first African to wear the Tour’s yellow jersey. Simon Gerrans led out Matt Goss for the sprint and conceded five seconds to Impey when the bunch split before the line.
“Simon came to me yesterday afternoon and asked if it was okay for him to pass the jersey along to Daryl,” said Sport Director Matt White. “I said it was fine. They’re great mates. What they’ve done for each other will never be forgotten. Simon won his stage with the perfect lead-out from Daryl, and he had his two days in yellow. For Daryl to be the first African in yellow, even if it’s only one day – well, it will change his life forever.”
“I was pretty emotional on the podium,” admitted Impey. “I was standing there and thinking ‘This is it.’ – this is the proudest moment ever of my career. I don’t think anything will ever top this. That’s not to say I’ll never be able to do it again, but not in this way. It’s like winning the jackpot.”
The Orica GreenEDGE team has 17 Australians among its 30 riders in the Tour de France, and supports a parallel women’s team.
Reference
SBS, Sydney, TDF Edition, 4.7.13. http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/?gclid=CPuC2bGMmLgCFQghpQodG1gA2w, (4.7.13).
Orica GreenEDGE, Daryl Impey Becomes First African to Wear the Tour’s Yellow Jersey, 4.7.13. http://www.greenedgecycling.com/,(4.7.13).
Picture GreenEDGE