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Saturday, January 24, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. - Epictetus
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Current racing:
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
Upcoming racing:
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
- January 29: Surf Coast Classic
- February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Latest completed racing:
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
Before moving on to the Tour Down Under stage three reports, the race organizer posted this notice about stage four:
Due to the ‘Extreme’ Fire Danger Rating for the Mount Lofty Ranges and predicted maximum temperatures of 43C (109.4F), THINK! Road Safety Men’s Stage 4 has been modified for the safety of riders, staff and fans.
Key changes:
EARLIER START: 10:10am from Brighton (1 hour earlier)
WILLUNGA HILL: Removed from the route
NEW FINISH: High Street, Willunga
DISTANCE: Revised to 131km.
Fans are asked to avoid riding up Willunga Hill, be sun-smart, seek shade and remain hydrated, and most importantly, follow messages from emergency services authorities throughout the day.
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We posted the organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Sam Welsford's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Sam Welsford latched onto a perfectly timed lead-out to claim a rousing sprint victory on stage three of the Tour Down Under.
The Australian picked up a hard-fought seventh career stage win at his home race, battling back from deep in the pack before unleashing a powerful final kick into Nairne.
Out of position following the final climb, Welsford was guided back to the front by Michal Kwiatkowski, before Ben Swift launched a perfect lead-out in the closing metres. Welsford’s first win for the team saw him hold off Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Lewis Bower (Groupama-FDJ United) at the line.
Sam Welsford wins stage three. Sirotti photo
The foundations for victory were laid with a committed team effort throughout the 140.8km stage.
Lucas Hamilton got through a huge amount of work on the front as the team set about helping to control the stage, monitoring the three-man break out front.
With 40km to go the race kicked into life with a flurry of counter attacks – covered by Embret Svestad-Bardseng to ensure things came back together. The upping and subsequent slowing of the pace didn’t help the overall chase efforts, with the peloton having to re-resume their charge.
With the pace high, Welsford was shepherded over the final climb by Kwiatkowski before arriving at the front at the perfect moment to strike.
Sam Welsford:
“I’m so lost for words. That was so hard. We were in so much trouble in the back, we got swamped, and then on that last climb I was on my absolute limit. I had Kwiato with me the whole time. He was just like, ‘be patient, we’ll get there.’ To have those guys believe in me so much after such a hard year last year – to win here on a day that doesn’t really suit me – I’m over the moon.
“I really wanted to set up the year well with a new team and like I said the team really believed in me. They really see what I can do. For me to get that belief back after I probably lost it myself is really nice. I think it just shows what we can do together as a team.
“The next two days are probably some of the hardest stages of the Tour. For me I’m just doing whatever I can, getting bottles, bringing them to the front, leading them into the climbs and paying them back for the work they did today. I can’t thank my team enough, the INEOS boys. Hats off. They were so good today, riding the front the whole day. They just never stopped believing in me. This win’s for them!”
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Here's the Tour Down Under report from third-place Lewis Bower's Team Groupama-FDJ United:
The Groupama-FDJ United cycling team experienced a thrilling stage finish this Friday on the Tour Down Under. After being part of a breakaway formed from kilometre zero alongside two other riders, Enzo Paleni proved to be the last man to resist the peloton. In excellent form, the young Frenchman was caught only 800 metres from the line, having kept the sprinters in trouble for a long time. In the final sprint, Lewis Bower fought his way through to secure an impressive third place.
The peloton climbs a tree-lined road in stage three. Sirotti photo
After a quiet showing on the second stage, Groupama-FDJ United were determined to bounce back on Friday during stage three of the Tour Down Under, despite a course suited to sprinters on the way to Nairne. “We had the team briefing last night and we agreed to say that there were still opportunities to seize here, and that we had to keep fighting on every stage,” emphasized Jussi Veikkanen. “The goal today was to create a breakaway, knowing that very hot temperatures were expected, and that the final was not as straightforward as it looked on paper, which could put the sprinters’ teams under pressure.”
Always eager to go on the attack, Enzo Paleni initiated the day’s breakaway from the very first seconds. “The plan was to get away with strong riders,” he explained. “That’s always better for good cooperation. I knew it was going to be hard, but I’d seen that there would be a tailwind over the last ten kilometres, and I thought that could give us a chance. I love the art of the breakaway, and every time I join one, my goal is to do everything I can to make it to the finish.”
Alongside the race’s best climber Martin Urianstad Bugge and Baptiste Veistroffer, the rider from Beauvais was kept within three minutes all day and had to use some clever tactics to try to beat the peloton. “We talked with Enzo after halfway and told ourselves it was time to start playing,” said Jussi. “We rode well all day, then we really slowed down about fifty kilometres from the finish to make the bunch slow down as well, before going to full gas in the final hour,” Enzo explained.
The gap first dropped to around thirty seconds with 35 kilometres to go, before growing again to nearly one minute thirty with 20 kilometres remaining. “We started to believe with ten kilometers to go, because Enzo still had a one-minute lead and there were three kilometers of downhill with a tailwind,” Jussi added. “There was a small hope!” Enzo Paleni even entered the final four kilometres with a solid 40-second gap, but a final uphill section blunted the Frenchman’s momentum and allowed the peloton to close in significantly.
Alone at the front as he entered the last three kilometres, the former member of “La Conti” maintained a handful of seconds over the peloton until the flamme rouge, before inevitably being caught 800 meters from the line, having spent almost the entire stage off the front. “It’s not the first time I’ve been caught so close to the finish, but I’ll go for it again,” promised Enzo. “I like these breakaways on flat stages because you can play with the peloton—it’s more interesting. I enjoyed today. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the end, but I’m sure it will pay off one day.”
“What Enzo did today was very good, and it shows that there are opportunities when you try,” added Jussi. No sooner had the rider from Picardy been caught than the sprint was about to kick off, and it was Lewis Bower who unexpectedly took over the hopes of Groupama-FDJ United.
“He wasn’t feeling great yesterday and wasn’t very confident for today,” explained Jussi. “We’d planned to go with Tom, but he had a mechanical issue at the worst possible moment, so we told Lewis he could sprint.” The 21-year-old New Zealander, also coming from “La Conti,” made the most of the opportunity. “Once I got the green light, I tried to stay near Ineos and Sam Welsford,” said the Kiwi. “I came past him on the climb with three kilometers to go because we were going really fast, then I tried to keep a good position the whole time, surfing around the lead-out trains. With about 500 metres to go, Welsford came back up with his team and I managed to get onto his wheel. I launched at 200 meters to try to come around, but I didn’t quite have the speed, so I came back into the slipstream and hung on for third place!”
Lewis Bower thus claimed the team’s first podium of the 2026 season, and his first personally at WorldTour level. “It’s just unbelievable,” he said. “After putting in so much hard work and sacrificing so much time away from my family and friends, it’s really nice to see that all the efforts I’ve made to reach the WorldTour are paying off. So to get a podium is super special and an emotional result for me.” “We’re really happy for him,” concluded Jussi. “Lewis is young, almost racing at home, and his family was here today. These are rare opportunities for a New Zealand rider to be able to perform in front of loved ones. This great result will also give him a lot of confidence in his form, because it wasn’t an easy stage.”
On Saturday, the peloton was due to tackle the queen stage of the Tour Down Under toward Willunga Hill, but the forecast extreme heat led the organizers to remove the famous climb from the route, which was reduced to 131 kilometres.
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Here's the Tour Down Under stage three report from Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Matthew Brennan was unable to compete for the win in the third stage of the Tour Down Under. Despite holding a good position in the final kilometre, a true sprint never materialized, and the 20-year-old rider had to settle for twelfth place.
In hot conditions, three riders made an early break. The leading group built a gap of over two minutes, but the last remaining escapee was caught by the peloton with just one kilometre to go.
In the closing kilometres, the Dutch squad stayed alert at the front. Brennan was well-positioned by his new lead-out Filippo Fiorelli, but he went solo slightly too early, preventing him from fully executing his sprint. In the end, Sam Welsford proved to be the fastest.
The lined-out peloton races across South Australia. Sirotti photo
“Matthew went solo at the front too early,” admitted team director Jesper Mørkøv. “Tim Rex did a tremendous job throughout the stage by leading the chase. When the last breakaway rider was caught, we tried to position Matthew as best as possible, but unfortunately he was alone too soon, and other teams were able to overtake him with more speed.”
The Dutch team now turns its focus to the final weekend, which starts with a challenging stage tomorrow. “It’s going to be a very tough day, especially with the high temperatures. We’ll do our best to support Anton Schiffer as a team. He deserves it after what he’s shown this week.”
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