Cadel Evans proved he is back to his best with a crushing performance to turn the Tour Down Under on its head.
The greatest rider in Australian cycling history added to his lofty reputation by soloing to victory in Thursday's third stage and taking the overall lead.
The BMC leader turned a 13-second deficit into a 12-second lead over key rival and compatriot Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) with three stages left.
Evans' ride on the crucial Corkscrew Rd hill was exhilarating and comes after his second place behind Gerrans earlier this month at the national road titles.
The two results show the bad times of the past two years are ancient history.
The Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) is his major goal this year and Evans can look ahead to May with confidence.
Australia's only Tour de France winner and 2009 world road champion noted this was his first WorldTour win since the 2012 Criterium Dauphine.
Beyond his 2011 French triumph, Evans has struggled with ill health and inconsistent form.
"It's nice to be back at the end (of a race), where I want to be," Evans said.
"It's good to be back at my best level.
"I just want to come back after these ups and downs of these last two years and be back at somewhere near my best."
The steep, 2.4km Corkscrew climb in the Adelaide Hills was in the last 10km of the 145km stage from Norwood to Campbelltown.
After catching a four-man break, the peloton hit the crucial climb at high speed and this decimated the field.
It came down to about 20 riders.
First, Evans and fellow title favourite Richie Porte (Sky) went clear.
Roughly a kilometre later, on one of the steepest parts, Evans stunningly dropped Porte.
Evans had a 16-second lead at the summit as Porte joined with Gerrans in pursuit, followed by a larger chase group.
The former mountain bike rider showcased his peerless descending skills on the tricky road to the finish.
He won by 15 seconds, with Porte and Gerrans finishing in a group of 12.
Australian Nathan Haas (Garmin Sharp) finished second, improving to fourth overall, behind Italian Diego Ulissi.
Gerrans finished fifth for the stage, while Porte was 11th and is 11th overall at 33 seconds.
To have any chance of usurping Evans, Gerrans and Porte must beat him in Sunday's decisive Willunga stage.
Gerrans noted that in the past two years, since Willunga featured a summit finish, the leader's jersey has changed hands on the stage.
"Cadel is going to have to make history if he wants to keep the lead from here to the finish," Gerrans said.
"We will be throwing everything we have got at him."
But Evans looks up to that challenge and should retain the lead through Friday's stage, which favours the sprinters.
This was his first victory in Australia since winning stage five of the 2002 Tour Down Under.
His ride on Thursday was one of the best in the Tour's 15-year history.
Evans is top drawcard at his first Adelaide Tour since 2010 and the massive public support has touched him.
"To race here and smell the eucalypts and hear the Aussies and some of the many interesting characters that make this race what it is, it's something.
"It really is a special race."
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