The season’s curtain-raiser delivered on several fronts as Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) earned the biggest victory of his career and bagged the Tour Down Under ochre jersey.

But what can we take from the WorldTour peloton’s first outing of 2015?

In a season dominated by European racing, Adelaide and the southern hemisphere is the perfect place to kick off the new campaign.

While the climbs of South Australia pale into insignificance compared to the Grand Tour giants, a varied parcours and fast racing certainly gives plenty to enjoy.

Time difference aside, the WorldTour’s only stop outside of Europe this season – the Tour of Beijing does not return – gives us a great chance to assess the early form of the peloton’s big hitters too.

Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin), Richie Porte (Team Sky) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r-La Mondiale), in particular, are likely to play a big part in the racing to come this season and they far from being the only star attractions down under.

It is also a tribute to the Australian public that they have embraced the race and still turn out in big numbers to watch, just weeks after bush fires ravaged the landscape in the region.

The climb of Checker Hill, in particular, showed the fire-damaged trees and was a reminder of how close the race came to being called off.

A great opening race – which kept us guessing until the final stage and still threw up some thrills and spills – was a great way to kick off what will hopefully be a great season.