Andre Greipel completed the biggest victory of his career as he won the opening ProTour event of the season, the Tour Down Under.

The German, who led by four seconds entering the sixth and final stage, wrapped up the victory in style by winning his fourth stage of the race.

The High Road sprinter beat Gerolsteiner's Robert Forster and Graeme Brown of Rabobank in a sprint finish at the end of the 88km stage through the streets of Adelaide.

He finished 15 seconds ahead of Australian stage three winner Allan Davis (UniSA) on GC.

Greipel, who equalling the race record of four stage wins set by Australian Robbie McEwen in 2002, said: "I'm really proud of it and my team is proud of me, everyone trusted me - I'm happy to be in Australia for the first time and win the first ProTour race here."

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German sprinter Andre Greipel took control of the Tour Down Under when he won the 147km fifth stage in the McLaren Vale wine growing region south of Adelaide.

Greipel was able to stay in touch with the climbers over the notorious Willunga Hill and then led home a bunch sprint of 30 riders up the main street of the town of Willunga.

The Team High Road rider's third win in five stages also saw him take the ochre leader's jersey from Australia's Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole), who finished in the main peloton 300 metres behind the lead group and dropped back to 39th overall.

Australian Allan Davis (UniSA) finished second in the stage and is now second in general classification, seven seconds behind Greipel.

Young Spaniard Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Caisse d'Epargne), who came 10th in Saturday's stage, is third in general classification 20 seconds behind.

The Tour Down Under is now certain to be decided on the 88km race through the streets of Adelaide, but Greipel is a firm favourite after winning stages two, four and five.

The 25-year-old from Rostock in the former East Germany has been in outstanding form this week, overpowering his Australian rivals over the last 200 metres in all three of his stage wins.

Saturday's stage saw the riders complete three laps of a circuit through the McLaren Vale vineyards and along Aldinga Beach before making the long climb up Willunga Hill, 20km from the finish.

While there was a cool breeze as the cyclists passed along the beachfront, temperatures soared to almost 40 Celsius (101 Fahrenheit) once they moved away from the ocean.

A group of five riders broke clear after 20km and stayed away until just before the climb when they were swallowed up by the main peloton.

On the climb, King of the Mountain winner Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) led a group of 10 riders who broke clear, but they were joined just after the top by Greipel, Davis and about 20 others.

Team High Road rider Adam Hansen, the Australian time trial champion, then went to the front and dragged the group along to ensure the main peloton, including Renshaw, was unable to rejoin the breakaways.

"It's the kind of riding he (Hansen) really likes and he's really good at it," Greipel said.

"It was awesome -- he chased every rider, he was excellent."

The tour suffered its second crash in two days when a group of riders came down at the 88km mark.

France's Nicolas Crosbie (Bouyges Telecom) broke his collarbone in the fall, while Igor Astarloa Ascasibar (Team Milram) was also forced to withdraw.

Chris Atkinson wins stage 13 at the Monte Carlo Rally, but Sebastien Loeb retains his lead finishing third in the stage.

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Elia Rigotto was disqualified from the Tour Down Under for causing an accident that left Australia's Mathew Hayman with a broken collarbone.

The crash was just one of several accidents in the 134km fourth stage from Mannum to Strathalbyn which was won by German Andre Greipel (pictured), his second success of the race.

Australian Mark Renshaw stretched his overall lead to four seconds after finishing second with Greipel and Allan Davis next on GC.

Race officials accused Italian Rigotto of "headbutting" the Australian in a frantic sprint to the finish line. He was disqualified from the race and fined, although he insisted it was an accident and Hayman accepted his apology.

"It was a severe headbutt, a very serious incident," Tour Down Under chief commissaire Michael Robb told Australian Associated Press.

"It was one of the worst headbutts I've seen in a very long time."

Erik Dekker, the manager of Hayman's team, said the Australian also thought the crash was an accident and he held no grudges against Rigotto.

"He (Rigotto) said he had his head down and looked up and his head went into Mat's elbow, he didn't mean it," Dekker said.

"He asked 'please let him (Hayman) know, I didn't mean to do it'."

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There was double celebration for Australia in stage three of the Tour Down Under as Allan Davis won the stage and Mark Renshaw reclaimed the leader's ochre jersey.

Unisa-Australia veteran Davis, who has competed in all ten editions of the race, edged out Credit Agricole's Renshaw and another home rider - Mathew Hayman of Rabobank - in a sprint finish at the end of the 139km stage from the Adelaide suburb of Unley to the south-coast town of Victor Harbour.

Opening stage winner Renshaw picked up bonus seconds for his second place and now holds a two second lead over Davis on GC with overnight leader Graeme Brown dropping to fourth after not contesting the finish.

Wes Sulzberger (Unisa-Australia), Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas) and Frenchman Michael Delage (Francaise des Jeux) were involved in an early breakaway but were reeled in by the sprinter's teams who set up a third consecutive bunch finish.

Renshaw's Credit Agricole team-mate and Britain's sole representative Jeremy Hunt was safely in the pack and is now 16 seconds behind the leader.

The Tour, granted ProTour status by the UCI for the first time this year, finishes on Sunday with an 88km circuit though the streets of Adelaide.

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Andre Greipel won the second stage of the Tour Down Under in a sprint finish in Hahndorf as home favourite Graeme Brown took the leader's jersey.

The German, riding for the High Road team which has emerged from the old T-Mobile squad, edged out Rabobank's Brown and another Aussie Allan Davis at the end of the 148km stage which set off from Stirling in the Adelaide Hills.

But the bonus seconds Brown picked up for his second straight runner-up finish saw him usurp opening stage winner Mark Renshaw on GC.

Francaise Des Jeux's Yoann Offredo, Ag2r-La Mondiale's Stephane Poulhies and Bouygues Telecom's Nicolas Crosbie built up a six minute lead but they were caught with 30km remaining to set up the sprint finish.

Renshaw's Credit Agricole team-mate and Britain's sole representative Jeremy Hunt, is ten seconds behind the leader.

The Tour, granted ProTour status by the UCI for the first time this year, finishes on Sunday with an 88km circuit though the streets of Adelaide.

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Australia's Mark Renshaw left it late but timed his sprint to perfection to claim the opening stage of the Tour Down Under

Renshaw was part of a 132-man peloton which set off for the 10th running of the Tour Down Under, but the first since it was granted ProTour status by the UCI.

In near perfect conditions with the temperature hovering around 26 degrees all day, three riders almost stole the glory when they broke away a third of the way into the stage.

Frenchmen Mickael Buffaz (Cofidis) and Dimitri Champion (Bouygues Telecom), and young Australian Richie Porte (UniSa) went clear after 41 kilometres and at one stage had the lead out to almost seven minutes.

They fought out the two sprints between them but soon after the second at 84.6km, the peloton decided to act and, led by Credit Agricole and CSC, they began to reel in the breakaways, gathering them in with just five kilometres remaining and leaving the way clear for the sprinters.

"At 100 metres to go I didn't think I was going to get there because I went so early," Renshaw said.

"At 300 to go they kind of split at the front and I decided I had to go early because of the split, so I went with 200 to go.

"I didn't know who was behind me or who was there."

The 25-year-old Renshaw has been a professional for five years, two years with Francais Des Jeux and three with Credit Agricole.

He said team management had sat him down at the beginning of the week and told him he had to make his mark on the professional tour in 2008.

"I've been chasing a ProTour win for four years now and finally I got one, and it was in Australia," he said.

Renshaw said he was always confident of catching the breakaways.

"I knew they were going to come back -- my team worked really hard so I needed to repay them."

Renshaw's teammate and compatriot Simon Gerrans was considered Credit Agricole's main chance to take the Tour, but Renshaw would not rule himself out either.

"I can't count it out of the question, that's for sure," he said. "Each year is a little bit easier, so it's possible."

Buffaz took the first sprinter's jersey after winning both sprints on the break.

The Frenchman said he tried to hold off the chasing pack but just wasn't able to do so.

"Unfortunately we were caught at the finish -- we (the breakaway) tried to ride a tactical race and stepped off the gas a bit so when they started coming at the end we could pick it back up again, but unfortunately we couldn't make it," Buffaz said.

"It wasn't really an intentional attack -- it's just that we've (Cofidis) got the custom of trying to be at the front, trying to keep up there and that's the way the race ended up -- we got away."

Belgian Philippe Gilbert of Francaise Des Jeux took an early lead in the King of the Mountain classification when he took the first points on offer.

Wednesday's 148km second stage will be between Stirling in the Adelaide Hills and the small town of Hahndorf.

The Tour finishes on Sunday with an 88km circuit though the streets of Adelaide.

Eurosport, Reuters / AFP