Danish sprinter Tobias Lund Andresen of Decathlon CMA CGM has upset the favourites to claim a brilliant sprint finish on stage one of the Tour Down Under.
Australian Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers), winner in Tanunda for the past two seasons, got squeezed on the barriers during a frenetic sprint and finished third, behind fast-finishing British phenom Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a bike).
The 23-year-old Dane, who moved from Picnic PostNL to Decathlon this season, will also wear the ochre jersey as the new race leader.
“It just feels amazing. I can’t remember the last time I felt like this,” he told Channel 7.
“We got some emails this morning from management reminding us of our ambitions, and I’m so glad to get the win.
“I think you need to be a little bit stupid to be a sprinter and enjoy this type of finish.
“It’s not often you can do what you plan but we managed to pull it off.
“I hope this gives some belief to the team.”
Tobias Lund Andresen is the new race leader. (Getty Images: Con Chronis)
Norwegian rider Martin Urianstad (Uno-X Mobility) and experienced Frenchman Guillaume Martin (Groupama–FDJ United) were both allowed to break away straight from the off and were soon joined by German Marco Brenner (Tudor).
But that trio were not allowed to build anything close to a lead and were closed down swiftly by a UAE Team Emirates XRG-led peloton.
With bonus seconds always so crucial in the Tour Down Under — and the first intermediate sprint offering 3 seconds — UAE Team Emirates XRG organised to put last year’s winner Jhonatan Narváez into position to cross the line first and reduce the gap to his teammate Jay Vine to a single second.
The respite after that sprint saw Urianstad and Martin both try their luck again, with two-time Tour de France top 10 finisher Martin bringing teammate Enzo Paleni with him to establish a three-man break for the day’s stage, building a lead of over two minutes.
The breakaway trio built a lead of over two minutes before the peloton closed them down. (Getty Images: Con Chronis)
ARA Australia’s Matthew Greenwood tried to make the trio a quartet, but was left tantalisingly dangling off the back of the leaders, closing to within just 13 seconds before the elastic snapped and he dropped back.
The peloton was being led by Ineos Grenadiers and Visma | Lease a bike, working for Welsford and Brennan — first and second in this stage last year — respectively.
During that chase there was a horrific crash for Bahrain Victorious’s Max van der Meulen, who was left stricken on the side of the road, his bike hanging over the guardrail, although his team confirmed that he was conscious while being taken to hospital.
Tudor Pro Cycling’s Marius Mayrhofer was also forced to abandon after crashing out with 35km to go.
Out in the break, neither Groupama–FDJ United rider attempted to claim the points at either the first or second king of the mountains points up Menglers Hill, with Norwegian Urianstad taking the lead in that competition, while Martin — who lost 28 seconds in the prologue time trial on Tuesday — took the 3 bonus seconds uncontested at the second intermediate sprint.
By the time the leaders came through Tanunda for the final time with 32km remaining, the gap had dropped to just over a minute as the sprint teams closed in.
Team Visma | Lease a bike and INEOS Grenadiers powered the peloton forward. (Getty Images: Con Chronis)
The trio were still away at final intermediate sprint though, with Martin taking another uncontested 3-second bonus before dropping away, leaving his two breakaway compatriots to it.
That pair just about held on to claim maximum points in the final climb of the day, with Urianstad consolidating his lead in the king of the mountains jersey by summitting first, with the peloton crossing just 12 seconds later.
Paleni made a last-ditch effort to complete the final 13km into Tanunda solo, but was caught just 7km before the line as the sprint trains churned through the gears.
Ineos Grenadiers were squeezed out when Paleni was caught, but made a daring dash up the right hard shoulder to get back into position at the front of the race, as speeds coming off Menglers Hill topped 100km/h.
But as the race turned into Tanunda, it was the Danish rider Lund Andresen who powered home for the biggest win of his career.
Thursday’s second stage will see the climbers come to the fore, with a 148.1km race from inner-city Norwood to Uraidla in the Adelaide Hills.
Race director Stuart O’Grady said it could be the hardest stage in Tour Down Under history, and the profile suggests he is right.
The road goes up straight from the off, with riders ascending the 10km Norton Summit climb that peaks at a thigh-crushing 12.6 per cent.
The biggest test will be the dual climbs of the Corkscrew Road at Montacute, a 2.4km climb of 217 metres elevation gain, with an average gradient of 9.7 per cent but a peak of 16.2 per cent.
From the second and final ascent, there’s just 13km of lumpy terrain before what’s left of the peloton finish into Uraidla.