In an unlikely twist during the second half of the Tour Down Under opening stage, the peloton ultimately found itself battling for second, with Maike van der Duin charging late to secure a respectable seventh place.

Despite heavy pre-race speculation that this would be a day for the sprinters, the outcome wasn’t as straightforward as anticipated. With minimal breakaway attempts, a calm peloton, and the kilometres steadily ticking down, all signs were increasingly pointing towards a classic bunch gallop.

Tiffany Cromwell, our local Adelaide insider, had warned that this stage might hold a surprise or two, and one such surprise came with 40km to go when a seemingly innocuous solo rider broke away.

CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto were in full force at the front, taking control of the peloton and trying to initiate cooperation with other sprint-focused teams. Tiffany tirelessly buried herself pull after pull, while Chloé Dygert inadvertently rode off the front on multiple occasions, such was her strength. Despite the efforts of the chase, it was Hengeveld of WNT-Ceratizit Pro Cycling who managed to stay clear, pulling off an impressive solo ride to take the stage win.

A scrappy and chaotic bunch sprint for second then unfolded, with designated sprinter Maike doing her best to reward the team for their valiant chase. Caught in the melee, she eventually found clear road to snatch a promising seventh.

Maike gives us a rundown on her how the sprint played out from her perspective:

“I think it was a bit difficult because we were the only team that were fully committed to chasing the breakaway with the solo rider out front. That makes it more difficult for us, having to chase with just three riders.

Under 1km to go, Chloe passed me with a lot of speed, and I jumped a little bit too late. I knew that she was ahead, but I got boxed in and lost momentum. I had to try to find my way out, so then I started the sprint too far back and had to pass a lot of riders. Then I’d get stuck again, only to pass some more.

“It was really nice to see all the belief and the hard work, but in the end, it was frustrating not to finish it off, and also to lose each other in the final.”

Despite struggling on the climbs that punctuated the tough, often likely underestimated southernmost circuit of the course, Tiffany was pleased with her effort to fight back to the peloton and contribute to the team’s chase.

“I think it was good that we committed and took advantage of the situation. We backed Maike for the sprint. Sure, we could have sat back and let the other sprint teams take charge, but we said, ‘No, let’s go for it.’ Too many teams were just sitting there. We had Chloé, who was like the power of two riders, and sometimes I think that hurt us, but on the flip side, her efforts helped close the gap. We probably should’ve committed a little earlier, but it’s the first race for the team, and we’re always going to have our mistakes. It’s never perfect. Still, I think we learned a lot, and we did a lot of things right.”

Tomorrow’s Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under sees the riders face the iconic Willunga Hill, a favourable stomping ground for Neve Bradbury after her podium performance there last year. Anticipation is already building for what day two could bring.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The Tour Down Under will be broadcast on 7Plus, Eurosport, NBC Sports and FloBikes, with daily coverage available from 11:00 ACDT (01:30 CEST or 16:30 PST). You can also follow the race on X using #TourDownUnder, as well as through the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto social channels.

Stage 2 | 115km | Saturday 18 January | Unley – Willunga Hill | Start 11:10 ACDT.

Stage 3 | 105.9km | Sunday 19 January | Stirling – Stirling | Start 11:10 ACDT.

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