After a week of pressure, high expectations, and intense racing, Richie Porte (Trek Segafredo) delivered his usual powerful performance on Willunga Hill.

Porte started the final stage two seconds ahead of main rival Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott). The Australian WorldTour team tried to unsettle Porte by refusing to chase the 26 strong breakaway, but Porte and his Trek-Segafredo team kept their nerve until they took off on the 3km Willunga Hill climb.

Britain's Matt Holmes (Lotto Soudal) caught Porte in the last kilometer and held him off to surprise the new champion of Willunga Hill, but Porte was happy with the overall win.

"I would have been happy to be the king of Willunga Hill again, but I'll take the ochre jersey any day," Porte said with a satisfied smile.

"It was great to win again. Ruth Winder won the women's Tour Down Under and I won the men's, it was a great race for the team."

Porte's Trek-Segafredo teammates were clearly not as strong as Mitchelton Scott throughout the six stages, but they gave their all for their team leader and overcame everything Mitchelton Scott threw at them.

When Mitchelton Scott ignored race etiquette and refused to lead a 26-rider breakaway, Porte and Kim Andersen responded calmly and Trek-Segafredo chased hard at the right time. The flat roads around McLaren Vale turned into a poker game, but Porte knew he had an ace up his sleeve.

"It was a hard day for the team and at times I thought the GC might be over, but I want to thank everyone.

"Mads Pedersen took two minutes from 26 players. When he won the world title [last year], he called me a few days later and said he would come to the Tour Down Under and help me win. He kept his word, and the whole team, including two young neo pros and Kenny Elizondo, helped me win."

Porte accepted that Mitchelton Scott's tactics were part of the final battle.

"I understand Mitchelton Scott's thinking. Matt White came up to me this morning and shook my hand. I never lose respect. I knew it was my race to win. It was great just to finish," he said in a sportsmanlike manner.

While his teammates were doing important work before the final climb up Willunga Hill, Porte remained calm and ready for the big moment at the end of the iconic climb up the Tour Down Under.

According to race data, Porte set a new record of 6:39 for the 3km, 7.27% climb. This was 4 seconds faster than his 2015 victory and 26 seconds faster than his 2019 record.

Porte danced on the pedals and pushed through the big gears, first pulling away from the struggling Impey and eventually shaking off Mitchelton's Simon Yates and all his overall rivals before passing the rest of the breakaway group.

"I think that's one of the fastest times I've seen in this race so far. Bike racing is not easy to win," Porte said, admitting that he had once again gone off the deep end. [When Yates sat on my wheel, it started a little battle of the minds. He's a great little bike rider. He's got a lot of youth in him and I'm getting a little bit better.

Porte seemed surprised that Holmes took his wheel and passed him in the last 200 meters for the stage win.

"He's a neo-pro and he's from Mancan, where my wife is from, so he must be a good guy," Porte joked, paying tribute. And Lot Soudal had a great week. I think he will be a great rider in the future."

Porte will compete in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong, near Melbourne, next weekend before returning to Europe to race in the three-day Tour Cycliste Internationale He will then return to Europe for a soft landing at the three-day Tour Cicliste International du Var et des Alpes Maritimes near his home in Monaco before returning to racing. His next World Tour race will be Paris-Nice in March, with the Catalunya Volta a major target.

Porte has not won since last year's Tour Down Under, Willunga Hill stage. He finished fifth in the Tour of California and 11th in the Tour de France, but decided it was not going to be a vintage year and ended his season early. He chose to recover with his family and spent most of the winter at home in Tasmania, preparing for the Tour Down Under.

"It was nice to win a bike race again," Porte admitted. 'I spent two months in Tasmania training with my mates. I spent two months in Tassie training with my mates. I've kept it simple for the last two months and it's great to come back here and win the Tour Down Under."

There is no doubt that Porte has worked hard to give his best at the Tour Down Under. But Trek-Segafredo hopes to find the right balance between racing, training, time in the southern hemisphere, and a return to racing in Europe.

"Everyone will have their own opinions about peaks and whatnot, but as an Australian, it's a great satisfaction to win the Tour Down Under," Porte said.

"I won't let anyone take this success away from me. I've worked hard and I know I can win a bike race.