Adelaide: UAE Team Emirates’ Diego Ulissi narrowly missed on a podium finish in the opening race of the UCI World Tour season after finishing fourth in the Santos Tour Down Under, just four seconds off third and 20 behind eventual winner Daryl Impey of Team Mitchelton-Scott.
UAE riders claimed top-10 finishes in all but one of the tour’s stages boding well for the season ahead. Simone Consonni finished fifth in stage one, fourth in stage three and seventh in stage six. Ulissi finished fourth in stage four, seventh in stage five, while Rui Costa came eighth in stage four.
Standing either side of South African, Impey on the podium were BMC Racing’s Richie Porte, who finished second and Dimension Data’s Tom-Jelte Slagter, who came third.
Ulissi said: “I’m satisfied with how I was able to perform during the entire week. The 4th place in the classification is a sign that I worked well over the winter and that my legs are already in good shape. In the Santos Tour Down Under, if you aren’t quick on your feet, it’s really hard to get good results. It was nice to work in perfect harmony with the entire team and we performed well in all the stages and hope that this will be the start of a season that will bring memorable cycling moments to our fans and our sponsors. Now I can get back to concentrating on training so I can be at my best for the next competitive event, the Abu Dhabi Tour, February 21-25.”
