Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) followed moves and covered all attacks in the final two kilometers before unleashing his sprint with 250 metres to take the win in Mt Lofty and secure the overall win of the 2024 Tour Down Under.
Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) finished a close second, and moved up to second overall. Stage 2 winner Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) finished third on the stage and the general classification.
Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL) marked all attacks from a select group of pre-race favourites and bided his time to unleash his uphill sprint with 150 metres to go to take the win, his first professional win, on stage 5. Runner-up Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) takes over the GC lead, tied on time with Onley. Third on the stage, Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) moves up to third overall, five seconds back. Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) are 13 seconds down, with one stage to go.
Even losing the wheels of his BORA-Hansgrohe's teammates couldn't stop Sam Welsford who claimed his third victory in Port Elliot. The Australian simply used other riders to launch himself to victory ahead of Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Lars Boven (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) safely crossed the line and still leads the general classification with a slim one-second as we head to a showdown for the GC contenders in the final two stages.
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Once again, Sam Welsford was the fastest to take his second victory in three days in Campbelltown. The Australian received a great leadout from his BORA-Hansgrohe on the very fast and tricky downhill dash to the line. Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) was second and Daniel McLay (Arkea-B&B Hotels), third. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) retained the GC lead.
Riders involved in a hard crash inside of 10 kilometres to go included Australian champion Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla), Cameron Scott (Bahrain Victorious), and Astana Qazaqstan riders Samuele Battistella and Michele Gazzoli.
Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) launched a blistering attack in the final hectic kilometre to win stage 2 in Lobethal. The charging peloton could not catch the 20-year Mexican rider with Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) taking second. Del Toro takes over the general classification.
The opening stage was won by Sam Welsford (BORA-Hansgrohe), as the sprinters made their mark on the first day of racing on the WorldTour. No one could match the Australian's speed in the final 50 meters of the mass sprint to claim the first victory with his new team. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) was second and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) rounded out the podium.
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Men's Tour Down Under information
The Australian six stage event, centered in Adelaide, winds its way across South Australian roads in the height of the southern hemisphere summer, delivering a usually sweltering opener to a new WorldTour season.
The race is often a place where Australian riders rise to the top, putting their best foot forward as they return from Europe to race on home soil, but with the strong international field delivered by its WorldTour status there is no guarantee they will have it all their way.
Caleb Ewan will be among those hoping to capture a winning start to the 2024 season in front of the home-nation crowd as he lines up with the Australian squad Jayco-AlUla once again, having returned after five years with Lotto Soudal.
The first four stages are where chances exist for the sprinters, although there is some potential for the opportunists to grasp a win instead along the way. There is no doubt, however, that riders that are happier on the flat will just be trying to hang on as long as possible on the final two stages as that is where the battle for the leader's ochre jersey will be in the spotlight.
The two summit finish stages, Willunga Hill and Mount Lofty, provide the makings of a thrilling weekend finale. Both climbs have featured in the race before but never before together, with Willunga having a long history at the race and Lofty making its debut as a finishing climb in 2023.
Stage 5, Christies Beach to Willunga Hill - 129.3km
Stage 6, Unley to Mount Lofty - 128.2km
2024 Tour Down Under riders to watch
Sprinters and GC riders are expected to be in the mix in 2024 Tour Down Under. Cyclingnews dug into the start list and came up with nine riders to watch - some obvious, some not so much - at the Tour Down Under from January 16 through 21.
Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.
