Oscar Onley took the first victory of the season for DSM-Firmenich. This was no ordinary victory as the talented 21-year-old cyclist commanded the action on the iconic Willunga Hill. At the finish he overtook Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) who came in 2nd place and Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), who finished the race in 3rd place.
How was the competition
A breakaway opened the race, with around 10 cyclists, however before the 2nd ascent of Willunga Hill the peloton was already compact.
On the final climb, Chris Harper took the lead, setting an intense pace that stretched the peloton into a single file. With two kilometers to go, Onley joined Harper, who had recently opened up a lead.
At 1.3 km they were caught again, leaving around twenty cyclists, including Isaac Del Toro (geal classification leader), Alaphilippe and Bart Lemmen, among others. In the last kilometer, Harper once again accelerated, providing an opportunity for Lemmen to close the gap. Yates was the first of the main competitors to launch an attack, with Narvaéz quickly positioning himself in his circle.
Sprint final
With two hundred meters to go, Alaphilippe was the first to start the final sprint, but was unable to open a significant gap. Onley, in turn, accelerated and took victory. Williams came second and took the lead in the overall standings.
The pace was a little too fast for Del Toro, who crossed the finish line in eighth place, six seconds behind. In the general classification, he dropped to fourth place, with a five-second gap to leader Williams.
Portuguese and Brazilian
The Portuguese Ruben Guerreiro and António Morgado finished the stage in 23rd place, 32 seconds and 53rd place, 2min 01sec respectively, behind the winner. Brazilian Vinícius Rangel finished in 106th place, 8min 46sec after Onley.
Watch the arrival:
Results of the 5th stage of the Tour Down Under
Tour Down Under 2024 general classification
