tour down under bike competition

As it happened: Solo move in final kilometre shakes up GC at Tour Down Under stage 2

The peloton races 141.6-kilometres with a final that features the Fox Creek Climb as a launchpad for attacks into Lobethal

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Race situation

Peloton all together.

100km to go

137km to go.

Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 2, from Norwood to Lobethal, of the Tour Down Under . The stage starts at 11:10am local time or 12:40am GMT and finishes roughly four hours later.

Stage 1 winner Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe) leads the general classification with four seconds on Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and six seconds on Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) is in fourth place, seven seconds down after grabbing time bonus seconds in the two intermediate sprints yesterday.

Welsford also leads the points classification but will wear the ochre leader's jersey. Second that classification,  Bauhaus will wear the blue sprint jersey today. Active in the break on stage 1, Louis Barré (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) leads the mountain classification. Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty) finished 9th on stage 1 and now wears the white best young rider jersey.

Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under is set to start in just under five minutes. Starting in Norwood, the 141.6km route includes twists and turns across the Adelaide Hills, and ends with three 35km loops and two ascents of the Fox Creek Climb, a short but super-steep climb set to be a launchpad for multiple attacks to take the win in Lobethal.

The temperature may be cooler today but we're in for another hot day of racing for the 139 riders in the field. The riders are rolling through the 5.1km neutral section on their way to the official start. 

“It's one for the classic specialists. I think it's just gonna be a little bit too hard in the last part of the race for the pure sprinters because that KOM up Fox Creek the last time over. It's not part of the king of the mountains competition, but a 1.5km climb with a maximum gradient 18% with eight kilometres to go, it's got climbers written all over it to split it.” - Robbie McEwen on today’s stage.

Race director Stuart O’Grady is trying to calm down the riders in the neutral section.   They will immediately start the first climb, the cat 2 Ashton is 10km long, with an average gradient of 5% and pitches up to 17.8%. It should lead to an aggressive start.

Mechanical for Owain Doull (EF Education-EasyPost) who gets a new bike in the neutral.

And we're officially underway for stage 2 of Tour Down Under. Cooler weather - with a forecast top of 23 degrees Celsius - at the crowded start in the streets of Norwood today.

First man to attack is Luke Burns and he is quickly followed by Jardi Van Der Lee.

No reaction from the peloton which looks quite relaxed and unconcerned by the attack of Burns (Australia) and Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost). Burns sits third in the KOM classification, 2 points out of the lead.

Duo of Burns and  Van Der Lee quickly established a 1:40 gap to the peloton as they climb to Ashton.  Both are racing the Tour Down Under for the first time in their career.

With 1km to go to the top of the first KOM in Ashton, the two-man breakaway has over four minutes to the relaxed peloton.

200 meters to go. Burns was setting the pace with 200 meters to go, but Van Der Lee accelerated at 100 meters to go. The Dutchman was more explosive on the final pitch up to the line and will take maximum points ahead of the Australian.

The team car for the Australian National team is trying to make it through the field to get to their main in the breakaway, Luke Burns, on relatively narrow roads. 

Tristan Saunders (Australia) jumps from the field, followed by a teammate, to nab the remaining KOM points, protecting Burns’ virtual KOM lead.

The duo off the front now have 6:23 lead on the peloton with 126km to go. Which team will react first to control the gap? 

And Jayco-AlUla comes to the front to set the pace with the gap getting closer and closer to the 7-minute mark.

Results of first KOM:

1- Jordi Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost)

2- Luke Burns (Australia)

3- Tristan Saunders (Australia) 

Michael Hepburn's engine at the front of the Jayco-AlUla line at the front took one minute off the gap of the two-rider breakaway.  No other team is interested in assisting in the chase. BORA-hansgrohe is riding behind the Australian WorldTour team, to protect the ochre jersey of Welsford.

Less than 3km to go to the first intermediate sprint of the day with points and time bonus seconds on the line. With a gap of 5:24, Van Der Lee and Burns will be fighting for the first and second place, but there will still be a one-second bonus up for grabs.

The escapees simply rolled through the intermediate sprint in Woodside, they are not interested in the points nor the time bonus seconds.

Israel Premier-Tech, for Corbin Strong,  is moving up behind Jayco in the lead-up to the intermediate sprint.  Strong is on the wheel of Caleb Ewan. And we just peeped Welsford a few riders behind.

Full sprint in the peloton for that all-important second at the intermediate sprint with UAE Team ADQ in the mix now. Confusion for the riders as to where the line was, but Isaac Del Toro knew and got that one second.

Luke Burns (Australia) and Jardi Christiaan Van Der Lee (EF Education-Easypost) in the breakaway of the day 

The strung-out field goes through the finish line to start the first of three 35km loops.

Results of first intermediate sprint:

3- Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates)

Still Hepburn setting the pace at the front of the peloton in front on his whole team and the stretched out field. Gap is holding at 5:08.

Change of tactics at the front. BORA-hansgrohe puts a rider at the front to contribute to the chase, and the gap has been reduced to 4:39 with 96km to go.

‘The new Sam, he’s a powerhouse’: Danny Van Poppel compares Bora-Hansgrohe teammate and stage 1 winner Sam Welsford to Kittel, Greipel 

Peloton is on the lower slopes of Fox Creek Climb, with about 5km to the top of the KOM. Gap to the 2 riders off the front at 3:30 with Maciejuk and Hepburn setting the pace.

Fox Creek Climb which the riders will tackle three times, is 1.63km long with an average gradient of 8,8% and max of 17.8%. KOM points are for grabs the first two times they climb up.

2km to go to the top of the KOM, Burns is setting the pace in the breakaway with Van Der Lee on his wheel as they face a headwind.

Burns jumps first at 200 metres to go and takes top points to increase his virtual lead in the KOM classification, ahead of Van Der Lee.  

Peloton is climbing at a steady pace, 3:14 behind the breakaway duo. No one from the peloton goes for the remaining KOM points. 

Less than 1km to the second intermediate sprint and the start of the second loop as they cross the finish line in Lobethal. Gap holding at 3:27

Van Der Lee rolls through the intermediate line first, followed by Burns who is tucked in his wheel.

Battle once again for the remaining bonus second. Split in the peloton which is full leadout mode. Cakleb Ewan beats Del Toro, who slipped his chain, for third place in the intermediate sprint. 

Results of second intermediate sprint:

3- Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AlUla)

64km to go, and we’re back to the earlier formation. Van Der Lee and Burns off the front with 3:10 lead on the field led by Jayco-AlUla’s Hepburn and BORA-hansgrohe’s Maciejuk.

Mechanical for Elia Viviani who calmly gets a new bike from his INEOS Grenadiers car. 

Jayco-AlUla’s Chris Harper is also chasing back in the convoy of cars. Loads of riders in the convoy after a nature break.

Steady process with Jayco-AlUla’s Hepburn and BORA-hansgrohe’s Maciejuk setting the pace at the front of the peloton.  Gap of 3:21 to the pair of escapees Burns and Van Der Lee. 

Luke Burns, who is racing for the Australian National Team at the Tour Down Under, is part of Team BridgeLane. As a UCI Continental team, BridgeLane cannot compete in a WorldTour race. 

Burns battled it out with Luke Plapp at the Tour of Bright - The day that Luke Plapp and Sarah Gigante broke Mount Buffalo .

Van Der Lee put his hand up for a softening front tire. A mechanic is out to change the wheel, and that could doom the breakaway. And then, he had to make his way around the neutral car. He lost about one minute.

Viviani who made his way back to the field after getting a new bike called for his team car to tighten his cleats.

3km to the Fox Creek KOM. Van Der Lee is trying to make it back to Burns and is on the bumper of the neutral car. Burns was waiting, and they are back together off the front. 

1km to the top of the KOM, and for the first time in hours the gap is under the 3-minute mark.

The two riders are riding alongside each other, and Van Der Lee fights for the points but Burns passes him to add points to his KOM lead. What is Burns thinking after he waited for Van Der Lee? Cheeky. 

Duo rejoins at the front but they are losing time to the peloton who has not started the chase in earnest. Gap down to 2:28 with 40km to go.

The pair of escapees, working together well, cross the finish line to start the third and final loop which will include one more time up Fox Creek Climb. Gap of 2 minutes.

Hepburn and Maciejuk have done yeoman's work to keep it steady but the chase is ramping up. The gap to Burns and Van Der Lee is now 1:36.

Burns and Van Der Lee are pushing on, all in at the front. Things are ramping up in the peloton. Ineos Grenadiers add a rider to the chasing power along with BORA-hansgrohe and Jayco-AlUla. Most of the other teams have not their nose in the wind, and are waiting to pounce.  Gap down to 1 minute with 25km to go.

Under the impetus of the fresh legs of Leo Hayter of Ineos Grenadiers, the gap is coming down quickly.  Hepburn who did all the pulling for Jayco is done and pulled out of the line.

The chase is on!

Ewan keeps looking down at his chain. He’s at the back of the peloton, talking to his team on the radio.

And the catch is made! Burns and Van Der Lee spent over 120km off the front.

Ewan stops by the side of the road, takes his computer off his bike and quickly gets a new bike. 

Ewan is chasing solo in the cars, no teammates to help him. He had to burn matches but he catches back on the strung out field.

15km to go which includes the final time up Fox Creek Climb. Ewan is holding at the back of the peloton., making no attempt to move forwards.

Teams massing at the front, on the slopes of Fox Creek Climb. Girmay, third yesterday, is sitting behind a teammate close to the front. 

Israel Premier-Tech moving up on the left. Groupama-FDJ in the middle, Soudal-QuickStep coming forward with Alaphilippe.

Sprinters Welsford and Bauhaus are in the middle of the field which is tightly packed, fighting for position.

Teams keeping the pace as high as they can go on Fox Creek Climb.

The Australian National team has lost their position at the front. They are been replaced by BORA-hansgrohe as they head onto the steeper slopes. Soudal Quick-Step pushes the pace once against.

The peloton is stretching the breaking point.  Plapp attacks, Alaphilippe on his wheel then Narvaez.

Alaphilippe can’t keep up and swings off. Plapp continues to push with Narvaez on his wheel. Welsford is in trouble off the back.

Plapp and Narvaez have a gap on the descent off Fox Creek. A few riders trying to get across the 10-second gap.

Del Toro and Fisher-Black get together in the chase with 7km to go. Peloton splintered. 

Plapp accelerates to try and get rid of Narvaez, but the Ecuador sticks on his wheel and Plapp refuses to work with him.

Plapp and Narvaez are caught with 5km to go and a pause in the action. 

Israel Premier-Tech at the front of a fairly big group which includes Ewan. 

Counter by Simmons who gets a small gap with a Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider. 

Joining Simmons in the late race attack is Bastien Tronchon. The gap is opening.

No shortage of riders accelerating in the peloton. Lots of attacks to try and catch the duo off the front.

1.4km to go. Tronchon’s teammate is trying to block at the front but the chase is full on.

Counter by Del Toro and he goes across and over the top of Simmons and Tronchon.

Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) takes the win! 

“So happy, I'm so tired but I enjoy every moment. The last kilometre was so hard, but I tried to finish,”  Del Toro said.

"It's really gutting. The team rode exceptionally well today and you saw with Steve and I are going 2nd and 3rd. It's definitely a bittersweet."

"We had our eyes on this one, and to get 2nd and 3rd. It's still a good day for the team, but we were really wanting to take the win home today, but, yeah, kudos to to the UAE Rider Del Toro, who on today was a nice move at the finish."  second place Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) said.

Del Toro takes over the general classification with a slim 2-second lead on Strong. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), who finished fourth for the second day in a row, moved up to third overall, seven seconds in arrears.

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Tour Down Under 2024: Oscar Onley wins top finish, race has new leader; check the results and watch the arrival

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:

Oscar Onley from @dsmfirmpostnl takes home the win for the THINK! Road Safety Stage 5 🏅 @DFIT_SA | @santosltd #TourDownUnder 📷 📺Stream the race now on 7plus: https://t.co/k2Exq3GblT pic.twitter.com/6MSri0i4kr — Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴‍♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 20, 2024

Results of the 5th stage of the Tour Down Under

Tour Down Under 2024 general classification

Tour Down Under bikes: lots of technology and custom components

UAE Team Emirates’ young prodigy doesn’t give up after losing leader’s shirt: “I’ll try again tomorrow”

Eddy Merckx height, weight, net worth, bike size and biografy

Giro D’Italia 2000 Standings: Winner, General Classification And Jerseys

Giro d’Italia 2001 standings: results (general classification)

Giro d’Italia 2002 Standings: Classifications And Jersey Winners

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Tour Down Under Stage 5 Highlights: Oscar Onley takes the win as Stephen Williams becomes new GC leader

Catch up with highlights of Stage 5 of the Tour Down Under where there was more exciting cycling action!