Simon Gerrans won the Tour Down Under after a final stage won by Lott's Andrei Greipel.
Simon Gerrans has gone into this final 85.5km stage, comprising of eighteen laps of a 4.7km circuit around the streets of Adelaide, a single second ahead of Cadel Evans.
On Australia Day and in temperatures of thirty two degrees, the 132 riders set off on a stage which had its finish in Bartels Road and three opportunities on laps six, twelve and eighteen for the riders to pick up bonus seconds.
On the first lap and three riders went clear. But one of the three escapers Angelo Tulik of Europcar went down with Katusha rider Maxim Belkov going into his head as he lay on the ground, leaving Will Clarke to go away on his own.
Both riders got back into the race and Belkov joined Clarke and AG2R's Julien Berard at the front to take a lead of 1.26 on the third lap.
On the first sprint lap, Clarke had a puncture and had to get a wheel from the neutral service vehicle. The remaining dup allowed Clarke to catch up to them after Berard went through having taken the first Adam Internet Sprint.
The trio were two minutes clear as the peloton started on lap eight. Orica Green Edge and Giant Shimano started to work and that gap came down to 1.23 two laps later.
Onto the second sprint lap and the front three took the points and time bonuses with Belkov again taking the three seconds.
The bonuses left now were ten, six and four for the first, second and third over the finishing line.
Enter Jens Voigt, whose attacks have been a major highlight of this tour, brought the trop back to within thirty seconds. BMC helped knock another ten seconds off as Berard. Belkov and Clarke started lap sixteen.
That was it for the escapers and Orica Green Edge led the peloton past Belkov and Clarke with 400m of the lap left.
The final lap saw the pace shoot up. Omega Pharma Quick Step riding for Andy Fenn, took to the front as Evans and Gerrans kept their eye on each other.
Andrei Greipel got himself third wheel and made his move to win in 1.55.16 ahead of Mark Renshaw and British rider Andy Fenn.
The German who rides for Lotto Belisol and who won his 16th stage win said to Paul Sherwen: "I need just need to stay on the wheels and I could save myself for the last 200m. The team spirit is excellent and it is a great team to ride for. We stuck to our plan and with good experience, it worked out well."
Simon Gerrans came in four seconds ahead of Cadel Evans to take the overall victory and become the first man to win the Tour Down Under three times.
He told Paul Sherwen. "It was a pretty nervous day with the race to be won but the guys made sure I was out of trouble and well protected and things worked out perfectly. "Being an Australian and racing for an Australian team and winning on Australia Day, things could not be much better."
Overall Result
1 Simon Gerrans Orica Greenedge 19:57:35
2 Cadel Evans BMC Racing Team +:05
3 Diego Ulissi Lampre-Merida +05
4 Richie Porte Team Sky +14
5 Nathan Haas Garmin Sharp +27
6 Robert Gesink Belkin-Pro Cycling +30
7 Daryl Impey Orica Greenedge +34
8 Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +37
9 Egor Silin Team Katusha +47
10 Rory Sutherland Tinkoff-Saxo +1:00