Starting on January 16th, the UCI World Tour ignited in Australia, with Williams (Israel-Pivot Racing) claiming the overall victory. This overview recaps the 2024 Tour Down Under.
S1 (Tanunda Loop)
Date: January 16th
The race began with a 48km clockwise circuit around Tanunda, featuring one sprint point and one climbing segment (Mount Manglers), covering 144km over three laps. Given the manageable climb and a 10km distance to the finish, a bunch sprint was expected at the end.
A duo of Zimmmerman (Ventoux Racing) and Bar (Aqua-Aqua) took an early lead, establishing a 3-minute gap before the peloton. The main group saved their energy for the final sprint, allowing the escapees to collect points from intermediate sprints and climbs.
Unfortunately, not all went smoothly for the peloton. During the first lap’s sprint, Train ( Bahrain-McLaren) crashed into a roadside barrier, injuring his arm. His teammates stopped to treat him, slowing them down, and they lost contact with the escapees just 10km from the finish. Later, Bratti (Bahrain-McLaren) crashed, weakening the team’s sprint train, forcing their leader Bauhaus to attack earlier than planned.
In the final sprint showdown, a headwind complicated matters, and no team initiated a sprint train until about 1.5km from the line. Bol Jumbo took the lead, and several teams’ sprinters followed behind conserving energy. Velversde (Bol Jumbo) launched the decisive attack, closely followed by Ewan and Gilmour, but they were too late, as Velversde crossed the finish line in triumph.
S2 (Nowood – Lobethal)
Date: January 17th
The 141km stage started from Nowood, heading east to Lobethal for a counter-clockwise loop around three times, passing two sprints and three climbs. With a mountainous terrain, the stage concluded with a bunch sprint.
From the cheers of Nowood spectators, the Australians Burns, Sanders, and Vanderaerden (EF Education) formed a breakaway trio. They extended their lead to over five minutes, but Sanders’ bike issue dropped him, leaving Burns and Vanderaerden to take the climbs and sprints together.
The peloton reeled in the duo 20km from the end, but a single rider altered the script. As the race neared the finish, Prap, Simmons, and Tronc attacked, disrupting the rhythm, and no efficient sprint train formed ahead of the main group.
Deltoide (UAE Team Emirates) made a dramatic solo effort, pulling away with speed just 2km from the finish, forcing other teams to abandon their tactics and chase him. Despite slowing due to fatigue, he crossed the line first, securing the stage win and assuming the overall race leader’s orange jersey.