On Tuesday January 17th, the first stage of Australia’s 14th Santos Tour Down Under took place. The opening stage was 149 kilometers stretching from Prospect to Clare.

Andre Greipel of Team Lotto-Belisol was the overwhelming favorite to win after his pre-tour criterium victory on Sunday. Greipel was a successful rider for Omega Pharma-Lotto last year and has won this race twice in the past. He is anticipated to deliver even stronger performances in 2012 with Lotto-Belisol and the talents of teammates including Greg Henderson and Marcel Sieberg by his side.

The race began at 11am and conditions were said to be the hottest and windiest in Tour Down Under history. The 133-man peloton was riding in 39 degrees Celsius (102F) averaging 32.7 km/h and rode into Clare an hour later than expected.

A major crash occurred just 800 meters before Clare’s finish line sending three cyclists and one spectator to the hospital. Team Lotto-Belisol riders, Henderson and Roelandts, were both involved in the crash as they desperately managed to save Greipel from the catastrophe.

Andre Greipel was able to continue forward with the small group of leaders and eventually would out sprint expert Alessandro Petacchi of Lampre-ISD earning his 9th stage victory in one of the most extreme Tour Down Under races yet seen.

Greipel (1st place) and Petacchi (2nd place), along with over 15 pro tour teams, train and compete using the SRM Training System. Both accomplished cyclists ride the SRM Campagnolo PowerMeter, released in November 2011, with the PowerControl 7. Uli Schoberer, owner and founder of SRM, collaborated with the Campagnolo design team and engineers to develop the unique PowerMeter and crankset combination capable of delivering accurate and precise data while maintaining the superiority and classic aesthetics of the Campagnolo brand.

Find more information on the SRM Campagnolo PowerMeter here.