The last 10m of Saturday's stage, not the brutal 3km up Willunga Hill, could have become the pivotal moment in this year's Tour Down Under cycling race.

In-form German Andre Greipel (Team High Road) overtook Australian Allan Davis (UniSA) in those last few metres to win the 147km fifth stage at Willunga, south of Adelaide.

Previous overall leader Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole) finished 56 seconds off the pace, meaning Greipel will also wear the ochre jersey into Sunday's final stage.

Greipel, who has won four times this week, will take a seven-second lead over Davis into the 88km street race at Adelaide's East End.

Had Davis won and Greipel taken second, the Australian would have led the race by one second.

"Everyone went well until the last 10m," Davis lamented.

The climbing specialists were expected to use the 3km Willunga Hill ascent to make their decisive moves up the overall standings.

But in a race dominated by sprinters such as Greipel and Davis, they were only a few seconds off the pace at the top of the climb.

Greipel praised his Australian team-mate Adam Hansen, who won the national time trial championship last month, for helping set a torrid pace in their lead group for the final 20km run into Wllunga.

Renshaw was not in the lead group and so Greipel and Davis, second and third overall before Saturday, were determined to maintain the gap.

"By the top I was nearly with the lead bunch and my team-mate Adam Hansen did 20km, full revs, so the group with Renshaw couldn't follow us," Greipel said.

The tactic worked and the Greipel-Davis group of 40 riders contested the finish well clear of their pursuers.

Greipel has now won three stages of this Tour and also the Down Under Classic exhibition race last Sunday.

The flat terrain of Sunday's stage, plus the lack of time bonuses on offer, means Greipel's seven-second gap might as well be seven minutes.

UniSA will try to set up Davis for the two intermediate sprints and the likely bunch-sprint finish, while trying to block Greipel.

But Greipel and Team High Road are having just as good a Tour as UniSA - all the German has to do is follow Davis' wheel.

If the German can finish in the placings for the sprints and the finish, that will be enough.

Davis is determined not to give up without a battle and UniSA's director, Dave Sanders, is a crafty tactician.

It is also likely other Australians in the race will try to help Davis, a popular rider.

Tour de France star Cadel Evans, who is in Adelaide for the race's Legends Dinner, said he was a Davis fan and hoped he would overhaul Greipel.

"Personally, I need this win - an overall win would be great for my resume," Davis said.

"I haven't won an overall, this is a fighting opportunity, the best I will get."

Davis again praised UniSA, a composite national team.

"It's like we've been together for 10 years, professionally racing all over the world," he said.

A five-man break led the stage by nearly five minutes, but it was caught well before the finish.

Former world champion Igor Astarloa of Spain and French rider Nicolas Crosbie crashed out of the race at around 80km.

Crosbie suffered a broken collarbone and Astarloa hurt his hand and elbow.

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