Narvaez wins on Willunga to snatch cycling Tour lead

Jhonatan Narvaez is the new King of Willunga and will win the Tour Down Under after denying Luke Plapp and Javier Romo their claims to the throne.

The Ecuador cycling star won a pulsating Queen stage on Saturday at Willunga Hill to snatch the Santos Tour lead from Romo with one day left.

Narvaez (UAE) leads Romo by nine seconds, and given Sunday is a circuit race in Adelaide, it will take a massive upset for him to be denied his first Tour title after finishing runner-up a year ago.

Romo (Movistar) had a four-second lead over Narvaez going into the 147.5km stage from McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide.

At the foot of the iconic 3.2km Willunga Hill climb to the summit finish, Romo bravely launched a stunning solo attack on his rivals.

As Narvaez bided his time, Plapp (Jayco AlUla) led the charge and perhaps went too early, with Romo caught by a small group inside the last kilometre.

Narvaez then sprinted clear to claim the stage and the race lead, with Plapp fourth and Romo fifth.

While Romo's attack earned plaudits from his rivals, ultimately the Spaniard was doomed.

Plapp, the main Australian hope on Willunga, said Romo showed "a massive set of cajones".

"I thought that was absolute suicide. He rode like a pretty big champion out there and took the race by the scruff of the neck," Plapp said.

Likewise, Narvaez was full of praise.

"He's a really strong guy - 'chapeau'. When he attacked at the bottom, I said maybe he's going to die a kilometre later," Narvaez said.

"But he showed how strong he is here."

Romo crossed himself at the finish after his brave attempt and, while emotional, was still pleased.

"All my teammates, thank you - I tried," he told the Seven Network.

Plapp hoped to emulate compatriot Richie Porte, who was the original King of Willunga for his six stage wins there.

Porte would attack his rivals at the same corner, just over a kilometre from the finish, on the toughest part of the climb.

Plapp's team director Mat Hayman said the Jayco AlUla riders could not be faulted for throwing everything at the stage, but ultimately all their efforts came up short.

"Maybe he went a bit early," Hayman said of Plapp on Willunga.

"There's the corner that Richie goes on and there's a reason that Richie goes there. It's the hardest part.

"He (Plapp) is keen to impress and keen to go ... I can't fault him for wanting to race.

"Every one of (our) riders stepped up today and we didn't pull it off."

Plapp's compatriot Chris Harper joined their Swiss teammate Mauro Schmid in a bold break before the final climb, but ultimately it also did not come off.

Plapp said he felt strong on Willunga and had no choice but to try to gap his rivals.

"Obviously you want more ... talking to Richie this morning, you dream big," he said.

The win and overall lead were a big change of fortune for Narvaez, who signalled to the commissaires in frustration after he felt he was boxed in at the finish of stage four.

Narvaez's Australian teammate Jay Vine, who won the Tour two years ago, crashed on Friday, which meant the Ecuador rider became their main hope at Willunga.

Asked if he felt nine seconds will be enough, Narvaez replied: "In this race, I think it's a lot. We will try to manage it."