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<P><STRONG>Welcome to RaboPlus.tv</STRONG></P><BR> <P>RaboPlus is a keen supporter of cycling and is proud to be a sponsor of the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide.</P><BR> <P>Naturally, everyone at RaboPlus is hoping for big things from the Rabobank Pro team this year. To make sure you don’t miss a moment there is extensive coverage of the tour here on Raboplus.tv, with regular updates, commentary, videos and photos of the action, interviews and analysis.</P><BR> <P>Plus we're offering you the chance to WIN a Giant racing bike or 1 of 10 Rabobank cycling packs.</P>

<p>We go inside the Rabobank Workshop at the Santos Tour Down Under as the team mechanics prepare bikes for the crucial Willunga Hill stage.</p>

<p><b>Adelaide, 24/1/2010</b></p> <p>Rabobank's Australian sprinter Graeme Brown finally got the better of HTC Columbia's Andre Griepel during today's concluding stage of the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under, but the performance still wasn't enough to overcome the newly established might of British Team Sky that produced a one-two result for Chris Sutton and Greg Henderson.</p> <br /> <p>Reversing the positions of their one-two finish in the Cancer Council Helpline Criterium one week ago, Sutton and Henderson benefited from being on the end of a classy lead-out train that drove into the final corner and dictated the terms.</p> <br /> <p>Finishing third in an outcome that could easily have been a stage victory on the street circuit in Adelaide's city centre, Brown found himself in an excellent position 400 metres out from the finish, before leadout man Tom Leezer appeared to lose speed.</p> <br /> <p>“Team Sky had people everywhere, they still had 3 or 4 guys with 300 metres to go, it felt like I was dodging Sky riders left, right and centre,” Brown said.</p> <br /> <p>“I had Tom Leezer in front of me and I wanted him to hit out just that little bit earlier but he'd been riding in the wind a fair bit and didn't have any more energy left.”</p> <br /> <p> Earlier in today's stage, Rabobank's Dutch Road Champion Koos Moerenhout tried his luck with an ambitious solo attack, but it was reeled in shortly before the first intermediate sprint.</p> <br /> <p>Brown's third placing in the sprint finish, impressive given the circumstances, still brought a frustrating conclusion to the Santos Tour Down Under for Rabobank, given the Australian had travelled to Adelaide with excellent early season condition..</p> <br /> <p>“I always want to perform at Tour Down Under and I'm a little bit disappointed this year,” Brown said.</p> <br /> <p> “I came in with great form and did manage to get two third places but not what I had hoped for.”</p> <br /> <p>While it was largely a foregone conclusion after yesterday's stage at Willunga, Germany's Andre Griepel held onto his lead in the General Classification today to become only the second rider in Tour Down Under history, alongside Adelaide local Stuart O'Grady, to win the race twice.</p> <br /> <p>Griepel finished 11 seconds ahead of 2005 TDU winner Luis Leon Sanchez, (Caisse d'Epargne)  with New Zealander Greg Henderson a further 15 seconds back in third.

<p>The Rabobank team hopes of winning a stage in the Tour Down Under remained high until the very last metres of the race, but it wasn’t on the cards for Graeme Brown. He lost in Adelaide in the last sprint to two Team Sky riders. Chris Sutton came in first before his team mate Greg Henderson. André Greipel is the overall winner, and the German also won three stages. This is his second overall win, as Greipel was also victorious in 2008.</p><br/><p>In the final sprint, Greipel's Team High Road took the day in a fairly relaxed manner, and this provided opportunities for the other sprinters, Brown included. He was now forced to recognise the superiority of the Team Sky block, who stormed the finish with four riders. Chris Sutton subsequently had a clear win, and Greg Henderson snatched second place from Brown by millimetres. </p><br/><p>"It’s disappointing that it didn’t work. This was our chance." Team leader Frans Maassen didn't blame anyone in particular. "The team didn’t do at all badly today. We were active, and in the final sprint Graeme was better set up than in the other sprints this week. Tom Leezer stayed with him for a long time. But Team Sky still had four men two hundred metres from the finish, so no one else had a chance. Brown managed to get surprisingly close in the end, but Sutton won fair and square."</p><br/><p>Maassen feels that not having a win does not put a damper on the race for his team. "Coming third twice. Yes well, it's not what we had been hoping for. We came to win a stage and maybe even a good classification for Pieter Weening, Koos Moerenhout or Stef Clement. Those three dropped out due to circumstances and unfortunately Graeme had no success this time either. It's a pity, because I think he is in good shape. But a sombre feeling now? No, absolutely not. This was a really great race. We didn’t win a stage, but we certainly had a great time."</p><br/>

<p>General Manager of the Rabobank Cycling Teams Harold Knebel is currently combining business with pleasure. Over the past week he has intensively followed the Tour Down Under and will remain in Australia for a little longer after the team has left. Knebel will study the commercial possibilities of the Tour Down Under in conjunction with Rabobank Sydney. “This race is already far more important than people in the Netherlands realise, and its importance will only continue to grow in the coming years. This also provides us with future commercial opportunities." An interview with Harold Knebel.</p><br/><p>Why are you actually in Australia?</p><br/><p>"To follow the team in the first serious race of the year, but mainly to look at the commercial possibilities of the Tour Down Under. This tour is definitely in the ascendant and its importance will only increase in the coming years. In recent years we've seen in the Tour of California what such a race can mean for the Rabobank guys. There we have a complete programme with former cycling-superstar Hennie Kuiper as host, and that works out really well. I'm here to list the possibilities for Australia."</p><br/><p>In the Netherlands, many cycling fans still regard the Tour Down Under in a fairly patronising way. That it shouldn't mean anything, "That's not at all true. Naturally the race as a whole is something of a sprint, but this is now a very grown-up and exceptionally attractive competition. Once you see what names are lining up here at the start, and how they perform, that says enough. I have enjoyed a week of great cycling, a fantastic atmosphere, all professionally organised and riders who gave the race their all. What more do you need in a stage race?"</p><br/><p>A win from the Rabobank team? "Naturally we wanted to set Brown up for a stage win. But that was not the case. We are not upset about it, although it is good to have a ProTour win behind you. I've been here all week and witnessed how the team got on. The guys were great. We had to keep adapting to the circumstances: Weening feeling sick, Moerenhout's and Clement’s loss of time due to a fall. Silly setbacks. And very strong blocks in the springs. Can't be helped."</p><br/><p>But people at home are still under the impression that it's a training event. "That also has to do with the timing. The Christmas turkey is still being digested, the remains of the fireworks are still on the streets. There's a reason why in the past we used to name the weekend with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne as the opening weekend of the cycling year. Last year we were at Down Under, California and Qatar already before that weekend. The realisation that cycling is going global still has to sink into public consciousness."</p><br/><p>So are we going to have a road-racing season of twelve months in the near future? </p><br/><p>"Cycling is certainly becoming more international. Last week in Australia I learned what cycling means here. It is unknown. We don't oppose the trend of more competitions taking place outside of Europe. Also, these are competitions in which you can earn points, this time for the starting order of cars in the Tour of Flanders, for example. After 2010, maybe even for some of the starting rights in the major races. Who can say?"</p><br/>

<p>Rabobank's Australian sprinter Graeme Brown and Team Manager Frans Maasen critique today's stage 6 of the Santos Tour Down Under, where Brown finished third.</p><br/>