Impey wins first back-to-back Tour Down Under titles

Adelaide - South Africa's Daryl Impey hung on to become the first cyclist to win back-to-back titles at Australia's Tour Down Under outside of Adelaide on Sunday.

Mitchelton-Scott's Impey won last year's UCI season-opening event on countback and held on to take this year's general classification behind sixth-stage winner Richie Porte of Australia up the torturous final Willunga Hill.

Impey, with a time of 20 hours 30 minutes 42 seconds, beat Porte by 13 seconds for the race with Dutchman Wouter Poels of Sky Team a further six seconds away in third place overall.

No one has won consecutive titles in the 20 years of the Tour Down Under.

It was Porte's sixth consecutive victory up the notorious Willunga Hill stage.

Results after the 151.5-kilometre sixth and final stage of the UCI Tour Down Under from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill in South Australia on Sunday:

Stage

1. Richie Porte (AUS/Trek-Segafredo) 3hr 30min 14sec

2. Wouter Poels (NED/Team Sky) same time

3. Daryl Impey (RSA/Mitchelton-SCOTT) s.t.

4. Rohan Dennis (AUS/Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team) +3sec

5. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/Astana Pro Team) +6

6. Christopher Hamilton (AUS/Team Sunweb) +10

7. Michael Woods (CAN/EF Education First Pro Cycling) +15

8. Diego Ulissi (ITA/UAE Team Emirates) +17

9. Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED/Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) s.t.

10. Dries Devenyns (BEL/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) s.t.

General Classification