This was published 12 years ago
2014 Tour Down Under - Stage 6
But the day belonged to Gerrans who held on to his overnight lead and secured the historic win.
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As riders prepared for the final stage of the Tour Down Under, fans came out in force - and in dress - for this spectacular Australia Day finish.
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All the big names, such as Cadell Evans, Simon Gerrans and Jens Voigt (pictured), were ready for action around the a new Adelaide City circuit.
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Evans began the race just one second behind Gerrans and was determined to kick off the international cycling calendar with a big win.
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But Gerrans, supported here by his Orica-GreenEdge teammates, had other plans.
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Stage 6 consisted of 18 laps around a new course and there were 19 seconds up for grabs with a number of riders in contention at the beginning of the day.
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But with Andre Greipel winning his 16th Tour Down Under stage, everything fell into place for for Gerrans to make history and become the first rider to win the race three times.
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Evans finished second overall and will head into the year full of confidence.
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