It may only have been the second competitive race of the season, but Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) was already up to speed. Taking a terrific victory on a lumpy run-in on stage two of the Tour Down Under, and setting himself up as a serious GC contender. Prior to the Tour Down Under Ulissi had downplayed his chances, it was so early in the season and he wasn’t sure how competitive he would be. However the first sign of his form came in the pre-race warm up event, the People’s Choice Classic, a Criterium race which certainly wouldn’t suit Ulissi’s skill set, yet he could be seen towards the front when the pace was increasing near the end of the race. Ulissi followed that by finishing 4th in the first stage of the Tour Down Under, losing out to the faster sprinters on an uphill drag. However the run-in to the finish in Stirling for the second stage was even tougher and there were several short ramps inside the final kilometre, making it possible for a punchy climber like Ulissi to steal away for the win. While Simon Gerrans was getting a good lead out from Daryl Impey, Ulissi had positioned himself perfectly, just tucked in behind Gerrans, Cadel Evans and Francesco Gavazzi. Ulissi then used one of the ramps as a springboard for his sprint, jumping clear of the others, once he hit the short ramp up to the line with a lead, he was never going to be caught. With a more significant climb to come tomorrow and an uphill finish on Saturday, Ulissi is very much in contention for the overall victory, but even if that doesn’t happen this has been an excellent start to his season.
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