Orica Green Edge's Simon Gerrans won the opening stage of the sixteenth Santos Tour Down Under.
One hundred and thirty eight riders minus Team Sky's Chris "CJ" Sutton who had a fractured wrist and was replaced by Nathan Earle, Giovanni Visconti who had a broken leg and Thomas Voeckler who had a broken collarbone and including British riders Geraint Thomas, Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard for Team Sky, who have designs on being the best sports team in the world and Andy Fenn for Omega Pharma Quick Step, took to the start line in Nuriootpa in the wine growing region around Adelaide.
Australian's Will Clarke of the Drapac team and Neil Van Der Ploeg of the Uni SA were first to break in this UCI World Tour race after two kilometres and were straight into a 3.20 lead in this 135km stage with a finish in Angaston.
The first Adam Internet Sprint came in Bethany and Will Clarke took the five points on offer, ahead of Van Der Ploeg and Giant Shimano's Simon Geschke as the gap steadied at 3.30.
With Ian Stannard becoming the latest rider to summon the help of his team car, the two escapers continued to be restricted to a lead of just over three minutes.
Into Angaston for the first time and the lead of Clarke and Van Der Ploeg was at 3.20 and Team Sky on the front of the peloton as they took on three laps around the Barossa Valley, with the third lap including the 7% Menglers Hill.
The work and some from Orica's Luke Durbridge saw the gap drop to 2.50 with 72kms remaining on a day where temperatures were around the thirty degrees mark.
The second Adam Internet Sprint at Bethany came after 71.6kms and Van der Ploeg won it ahead of Clarke with last year's winner and new Australian Champion Simon Gerrans of Orica Green Edge, third, just pipping Rojas of Movistar and Danilo Wyss of BMC.
Durbridge was back leading the peloton as the front two came into Angaston for a second time with a 3.16 lead as they passed through the hydration station.
Heading towards Greenock with just over forty kilometres of racing to go, Neil Van der Ploeg and Will Clarke were now 2.25 clear.
The tempo being set by the peloton, still led by Durbridge and Team Sky with Berni Eisel to the fore, was a high one with an average speed for the last hour of 45kmph and despite the narrow roads, they had the gap down to 1.45 with 32kms to go.
Neil Van Der Ploeg attacked on his own with nineteen kilometres to go, but by the time, Menglers Hill came into sight, both he and Clarke, who was the most competitive rider of the day were swept up by the peloton with 16kms to go.
Team Sky again went on the attack with Richie Porte the first man to start the climb.
Two riders went down in a crash which delayed a number of riders including at least three Movistar riders and BMC's Cadel Evans.
Garmin's Nathan Haas was followed by Nathan Earle of Team Sky and Garmin's Rohan Dennis but it was Adam Hansen who took the first Skoda King Of The Mountains points with twelve kilometres to go.
Europcar, now a World Tour team, made their move and German Bjorn Thurau and Japanese Champion Yukiya Arashira passed Hansen and went away.
The duo were averaging 54kmph on the descent and were ten seconds clear, going into the final three kilometres.
Arashira went with a kilometre and a half to go whilst back down the road, there was a crash following a touch of wheels in the lead group.
The finish was uphill and Arashira was soon caught. Simon Gerrans took on Andrei Greipel and beat himdown the centre of the road to win the stage and take the ten seconds win bonus in a time of 3.20.23 and the Ochre Jersey. Steele Van Hoff was third, ahead of Geschke, Ulissi, Bouet, Gavazzi, Valls Ferri, Evans and Gesink.
"Andre is one of the fastest around," said Gerrans to Paul Sherwen. "I left it really late and the wind helped me. "Every second counts and I have a lot of faith in the guys.for the rest of the race."
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