ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Welshman Geraint Thomas won the short but demanding second stage of cycling’s Tour Down Under on Wednesday, avoiding a 15-man fall near the finish that brought down world champion Philippe Gilbert.
The 72-mile stage featured a new addition to the race; an arduous climb up the Corkscrew; a 4.5-mile series of switchbacks with a gradient near the end of around 15 degrees.
That climb was designed to counter the historical dominance of sprinters over the 15-year history of the six-stage race, the first event of the World Tour.
