The first stage of the Tour Down Under was won by Sam Welsford (BORA-Hansgrohe). In the city of Tanunda, at the start and finish, he defeated Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) in the sprint. Local hope Caleb Ewan finished fourth.
BORA-Hansgrohe bet everything on the new sprinter
BORA-Hansgrohe showed complete confidence in its new sprinter, from the first kilometers. Together with Lidl-Trek and Jayco-AlUla, they rode at the front of the pack for most of the route.
Sprint decision
After several unsuccessful attacks, everything was decided in the sprint and BORA-Hansgrohe started early. With 1.1 km to go before the finish, Ben Zwiehoff was already in the lead. Van Poppel did an exemplary job for his captain, leaving Sam Welsford 150m from the finish. The champion still accelerated to victory.
Caleb Ewan, who was in Welsford’s wheel, didn’t have the speed to overtake his compatriot.
Thanks to the stage victory, Welsford is also the first leader in the general classification. He leads four seconds ahead of Bauhaus and six seconds ahead of Girmay.
Portuguese and Brazilian in the test
The Portuguese Ruben Guerreiro and António Morgado and the Brazilian Vinícius Rangel finished together with the peloton. The Portuguese in 30th and 40th positions respectively. The Brazilian finished the race just behind, in 57th position. Everyone received the same platoon time.
Watch the arrival:
Results of the 1st Stage of the Tour Down Under 2024:
Tour Down Under 2024 overall standings:
