As it happened: Powerful UAE Team Emirates take top 2 places on stage 2 of Tour Down Under
Peloton tackles 148.1km from Norwood to Uraidla
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Tour Down Under stage 2, from Norwood to Uraidla. The stage starts at 11:10 am local time or 12:30 am GMT and finishes roughly three hours later.
Stage 1 winner Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) leads the general classification with one second on prologue winner Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers), and two seconds on Ethan Vernon (NSN). But stage 2, with 3624 metres of elevation gain, is sure to shake up the standings today.
The GC contenders will have to show if they have the legs on the 148.1km stage. Three climbs are on the agenda, with a grind up Norton Summit followed by a visit to Mt Lofty and the men’s first dual ascent of notorious Corkscrew Road.
Here’s what race director Stuart O’Grady said about stage 2: “On paper this is potentially the hardest stage we’ve had in Santos Tour Down Under history. The peloton has traditionally gone up Corkscrew and turned right into Campbelltown, but this time they’ll turn left at the top as the climb continues up Montacute Road, then back down through Uraidla for a final lap. It will be really challenging.”
The riders are rolling through 5.1km neutral section on their way to the official start of stage 2.
Riders are swarming the lead car as they warm up their legs before the start of the stage.
Should be an aggressive start as the riders are almost going ahead of the race director's car. Stuart O'Grady is trying to calm them down.
And we’re racing!
Tudor rider makes the first move, but gets no reaction.
It is Joel Sutter from Tudor who powered away. And he gets a reaction, Jensen Plowright makes it across the small gap.
KOM leader Martin Urianstad also makes it across, followed by Lucas Stevenson.
UAE controlling the front already and they seem content with the four riders up the road.
Two more riders jump from the field to try and make it across the 32-second gap. And another Uno-X rider also jumps.
The 2 riders trying to bridge up are Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain Victorious) and Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-Quickstep).
UAE is driving the peloton as Storm Ingebrigtsen (Uno-X) is not making any headway in his chase.
Chasers catch the break making it six riders up the road with 142.5km to go.
Storm Ingebrigtsen made it across to the six riders, making it 2 Uno-X riders in the 7-rider move with 140km to go.
Suter is the highest placed rider on GC in the break, at 14 seconds down, making him the virtual leader on the road.
Ingebrigtsen immediately went to the front to set the pace for his teammate Urianstad.
Battle for the KOM points with Reinderink putting in a surprise acceleration to take the maximum points (7). Urianstad is second across the line for 5 points. Stevenson was third at KOM #1.
The seven rejoin at the front and push on through the feedzone with a gap of 1:38.
Let’s hear what race leader and stage 1 winner Tobias Lund Andresen (Uno-X Mobility) told the Seven commentator this morning in Norwood.
“It feels really good. It's the first time for me to wear the leader’s jersey in a WorldTour. So I'm just going to soak it in today. I think it's a beautiful one, yeah, probably last day in the leader’s jersey as well. So I need to enjoy the moment.”
About defending the ochre jersey: “I think it would be naive if they focused on me today. I kind of just have to manage the day and get ready for tomorrow, and then we've got some fast climbers here, they can try and take it off me today.”
The seven riders in the break, including 2 teammates of race leader Lund Andresen.
Correction. The best-placed rider on GC is Australian Jensen Plowright, who is 8 seconds down. He is now the virtual leader on the road as the gap gets close to the 2-minute mark.
Stage 1 saw two abandons following crashes: Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Max van der Meulen (Bahrain Victorious) both hitting the deck in a small but nasty accident.
Let’s hear what defending champion Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) told the Seven commentators this morning at the start in Norwood.
“Today, I think, is the really important stage is almost 400 meters of elevation. We have a strong team. We came here with a lot of motivation, and we will do our best in the stage today, with me, with Jay [Vine], we have a strong team now.
“This edition is really hard, we have a strong team, and we will try to win the race.”
Speaking of UAE, they put three riders at the front of the peloton to control the gap to the break. Behind them, are Ineos Grenadiers riders.
The 7-rider break cross the finish line in Uraidla, to start the first of two sweeping loops through communities including Crafers, Piccadilly, Lobethal and Cudlee Creek.
And now the peloton, led by 2 Scandinavian riders on UAE, Mikkel Berg and Vegard Stake Laengen, cross the line, 2:24 behind the break.
Last year on stage 3, Javier Romo (Movistar) launched an attack on the descent of Knotts Hill with 6km to go to win the stage, his first UCI victory, in Uraidla.
Decathlon CMA CGM moves up en masse, sitting behind the UAE and Ineos rider, monitoring the front of the peloton.
Stake Laengen continues to set the pace at the front of the peloton, with the whole Decathlon team behind him, including the ochre jersey Lund Andresen sitting in the middle. Behind them is the Ineos squad.
Urianstad at the front of the group with 1km to sprint.
Plowright, the newly crowned Australian criterium champion, is sitting at the back of the group.
Plowright takes the intermediate sprint with no challenge from the others.
Reinderink, who seemed to be telling the others in the break what to do for the intermediate sprint, was second across the line.
Jayco Alula is moving forwards in the peloton.
It's clear that UAE Team Emirates-XRG are a team that is being ever so closely watched by all its rivals today, particularly with Jay Vine making his form clear with his Australian time trial title win and last year's winner Jhonatan Narváez having already reminded rivals of his knack of snaring bonus seconds when he picked up three on stage 1. It means teams are having to prepare to counter the squad on multiple fronts.
"We've got three guys there to play our cards," Jayco AlUla sports director Matthew Hayman told Cyclingnews before the start of the stage, with Mauro Schmid's speed a counter to Narváez, and then they also have Luke Plapp and Ben O'Connor.
Tension will start to build as the riders are 20km to the top of the Corkscrew. Teams with GC contenders are starting to move up.
Break is speeding downhill towards Cuddly Creek. They are still working well together as they gap holds around 2:46
Jayco, Visma, UAE and Decathlon are jostling for control and for position at the front of the peloton. Lotto also pushed its way to the front.
Speeds hitting 90kmph as they speed down towards the corner that will take the riders onto the Corkscrew climb.
Jayco on the right side of the road, UAE on the other side with Lotto, Visma and Decathlon and Ineos charging up the middle.
The break is pushing through Cuddly Creek, with a gap of 2:35.
It hasn't exactly been an easy run-in to the race for last year's runner-up Javier Romo (Movistar).
"He had a wisdom tooth taken out about four days, five days ago – since we've been here in Adelaide," Matt White, who has recently joined the Spanish team, told Cyclingnews before the stage start.
Seven riders in the break are still working well together, a double rotation line.
Break is Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain Victorious), Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-Quickstep), Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Lucas Stevenson (Australia), Joël Suter (Tudor), Storm Ingebrigtsen and Martin Urianstad (both Uno-X Mobility)
Peloton is racing towards the bottom of the Corkscrew. Red Bull now moving up for Finn Fisher-Black.
Break just raced by the 5km to the top of KOM #1, the cat 1 Corkscrew climb.
In the break, Reinderink clipped out briefly to shake his leg.
Luke Durbridge is driving at the front with a Jayco teammate on his wheel. Red Bull lined up behind them.
Time gap is tumbling, to under 2 minutes as the break takes the turn to get onto the lower slopes of the climb.
🇦🇺 #TourDownUnderWhat an atmosphere at the top of the Corkscrew 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hpJIww1fBNJanuary 22, 2026
Narvaez has a mechanical, looks at his gears and drops back to his team car.
Narvaez is the the cars, and does not have a teammate with him. Seems to have a new bike and connects to the back of the field
Jayco's Kelland O'Brien attacks at the front of the field.
Break is still together with 500 metres to the KOM line.
Urianstad is leading the group with Reinderink sitting in 4th wheel. Reinderink surprised on the first KOM to take max points.
Urianstad looks behind him and no movement, yet.
Reinderink goes first, accelerates from 4th wheel, and gets no reaction. Urianstad is second again.
KOM #2 results
Meanwhile, behind UAE went to the front of the pack, to control the pace to assist Narvaez who has a mechanical and rejoined.
70km to go
Break of seven: Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain Victorious), Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-Quickstep), Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Lucas Stevenson (Australia), Joël Suter (Tudor), and Martin Urianstad and Storm Ingebrigtsen (both Uno-X Mobilty)
Team cars are being pulled out of the gap between the break and the field.
Riders are speeding down towards the finish line in Uraidla to start the second and final big loop.
Peloton is in full control and is keeping the break at the 1-minute mark.
A split appears momentarily in the break, but they regroup with 63km to go.
Break rolls through the second intermediate sprint at the finish line in Uraidla.
Stake Laengen has returned at the front of the field as they hear the bell to start the second and final lap. Ochre jersey Lund Andresen is still in the group.
The gap has gone up slightly to 1:24 as the peloton went through the feedzone.
The seven riders in the break are still working well together, but let's be honest, their time out off the front will be coming to an end soon.
Ochre jersey Lund Andresen is on his teammate's wheel, and they are right behind UAE's Laengen who is setting the pace.
Behind the Decathlon team, the rest of the UAE team is lined up, then Ineos and Jayco.
Race leader Tobias Lund Andresen is sitting on his Decathlon's teammate's wheel.
Calm before the next flurry of action. Gap has gone up to 1:43 with 44km to go for the 7-rider break.
Laengen is starting to show the stress of all the work he's done at the front, but he's still pushing.
Peloton is now spread across the road with Jayco, UAE, Decathlon at the front. For the first time, Lidl is moving up the middle.
And now Visma comes to thefront too, with Jayco, Lidl, UAE as the race turns left out of Lobethal.
The jostling at the front has already started with 34km to go. Everyone wants to be in a good position for the upcoming climb of Corkscrew.
Peloton is flying down, out of Lobethal, over 92kmph and Lidl has taken the front with Astana and Red Bull very close.
Shoulder to shoulder, teams half wheeling each other, all trying to take control at the front. All at high speed.
25km to go
Break of 7 - Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain Victorious), Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-Quickstep), Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Lucas Stevenson (Australia), Joël Suter (Tudor), and Martin Urianstad and Storm Ingebrigtsen (both Uno-X Mobility) - has a gap of 55 seconds.
Break splits up inside of 23km to go. Urianstad, Miholjevic and Reinderink accelerate away.
The other four riders from the break have been reeled in.
Miholjevic attacks the break and Reinderink covers easily. Urianstad works hard to close the small gap.
The sprinters are playing their part on the downhill section Welsford took a big pull for Ineos, and now it's Teutenberg for Lidl.
Last man standing from the break, Miholjevic, is about to be caught with 19km to go.
Peloton is all back together! And Movistar is moving up.
Race leader Lund Andresen leads the peloton onto the Corkscrew climb but Movistar takes over.
After one last pull, race leader Lund Andresen pulls out and UAE is back at the front with Yates and then Vine inside of 15km to go. Narvae is four positions further back and Buitrago is not far either.
Riders are starting to be shelled off the back, including Luke Plapp.
Yates is dancing on the pedals at the frontm followed by Vine, then Fisher-Black, Cepeda and Narvaez. Romo is close too,
Splits appearing at the front under pressure from Yates, and Vine attacks! Narvaez goes across.
The UAE duo gets a gap with Vine setting the pace and defending champion Narvaez on his wheel. Vine is also a previous overall winner of the Tour Down Under.
As the crest the KOM, Vine and Narvaez have 15 seconds on the chase group.
The reduced peloton, 20 seconds behind, included three Movistar riders.
Narvaez looks to be having trouble keeping up with Vine as they still climb.
Hesitation in the reduced peloton and the gap is now 26 seconds. Movistar's Natnael Tesfazion jumps to try and make it across.
Harry Sweeney leads a three-rider chase and they catch Tesfazion. Yates is disrupting the chase,
Sweeny goes again and this time, he goes solo to bridge across the 32 second gap. Tesfazion is chasing solo.
Yates marks the move and joins the two chasers who connected, Sweeny and Tesfazion.
Still Vine leading the duo off the front, Narvaez is hanging on. They have 33 seconds with 10 km to go.
Sweeny and Tesfazion with Yates sitting on are trying to cross the 33-second gap to the UAE duo.
More riders make it across to the Sweeny group - Schmid and Zana connect.
Eenkhoorn also makes it across to the 6-rider chase group.
Brenner attacks the chase group, after quickly joining. Sweeny shuts down the move. Yates is still sitting, looking to disrupt the pace.
Chase group includes Brenner, Zana, Sweeny, Tesfazion, Schmid with Yates sitting on. They are 30 seconds down.
O'Connor, Romo are in the 3rd group of the road of about 15 riders.
Vine and Narvaez are pulling away, with a gap of 50 seconds to the chase group with 4km to go.
Vine has done all the work since the UAE pair attacked and powered away after Yates put in a big acceleration.
Vine and Narvaez go side by side and look behind them and see nothing.... chase is 50 seconds back. Vine continues to set the pace at the front.
Vine and Narvaez are on the final stretch, and Vine takes the win with Narvaez pointing at his teammate as he crosses the line in second place.
Brenner leads the chase group around the final bend with Sweeny and Schmid on his wheel, and the group spreads across the road to sprint for third place taken by Mauro Schmid.
Jay Vine pushing the pace with his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Jhonatan hanging onto his wheel.
Results powered by FirstCycling
Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) takes over the leader's jersey. He has 6 seconds on his teammate Jhonatan Narváez. Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) sits in third, at 1:05 down.
Let’s hear from stage 2 winner and new race leader Jay Vine.
“[The leader’s jersey]’s been on my mind since last time I wore it. And I really love this jersey, and it's just so incredible to win on such a really hard stage. We've got such a strong position now with me and Jhony and Adam, being let out by Adam here is pretty incredible as well.”
Asked about not letting his guard down even though he has a commanding GC lead on his rivals: “No, not at all. We’ve still got a sprinter here in [Juan Sebastian] Molano. And the guys are riding really strong. The other two at the start of the race, Mikkel [Bjerg] and Vegard [Stake Laengen], they rode their hearts out. And it was just a really strong ride by the whole team today.”
Stage 1 winner Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon-CMA CGM) retained the blue sprint jersey,
Our race report, results, and photos can all be found here: Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez go 1-2 after powerful attack on Corkscrew climb on stage 2
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
