The opening stage of the Men’s Tour Down Under saw the peloton take on a predominantly flat 144 kilometres, starting and finishing in the town of Tanunda, with the main challenge of the day being the climb of Menglers Hill. Despite some gusty winds, there were no echelons out on course and battling into a headwind on the final ascent of the hill meant it was all together over the top. A fast descent down the winding valley roads followed before a chaotic and hectic sprint to the line. The team were unable to compete for a top result in the chaos, but did manage to get through the day unscathed, and are already looking to the next opportunities.
Speaking after the stage, experienced road captain Chris Hamilton said: “It was a very hot day to get the race started here in Australia. The main objective for the day was to keep Oscar safe and out of trouble which we did. In the finale we wanted to set up the sprint with Emils, but unfortunately that didn’t quite go to plan. We still have a few more good opportunities to get that right here and the guys are motivated for that and the other chances throughout the week.”