The Visma – Lease A Bike rider rode well in Australia Tour Down Under, just missing a podium
Some great racing for Victoria’s Sarah Van Dam in Australia. Van Dam finished the first WorldTour race of the year, the Tour Down Under with another strong result. She finished fifth on the final stage and took fifth overall in the general classification after three days of racing in Australia.

But she also thinks she could have won.

The 24-year-old was racing her first race with her new squad, Team Visma – Lease a Bike. In the last stage, she was in the mix until the final kilometres of the 126-km stage from Norwood to Campbelltown. As per usual, the race was decided on the very steep, and very tough Corkscrew Road. The women climbed it twice late in the day, where the GC contenders made their moves.

There was an early two-rider break that took off at the start of the day, but the peloton kept the gap in check. Eventually, they reeled them in ahead of the decisive finale. On the first time up Corkscrew Road, the pace ramped up sharply among the favourites. Van Dam responded to an acceleration from UAE Team ADQ teammates Mavi Garcia and Paula Blasi, briefly finding herself under pressure as the pair used their numbers to force selections at the front.

“I had the legs to win today, so I was a bit disappointed afterwards,” Van Dam said. “I gave everything I had.”

Van Dam managed to regroup before the final climb, positioning herself in the main chasing group as a quartet, including eventual stage and overall winner Noemi Rüegg, slipped clear. Despite a committed effort on the second ascent, Van Dam was unable to match the final acceleration after the accumulated efforts of the day.

“On the final climb I was in the chasing group. But after all the efforts I didn’t have the legs to follow the decisive acceleration,” she said.

Van Dam credited her teammates for keeping her well positioned throughout the hot and aggressive stage. She said the team rode smoothly during her first outing in Visma’s yellow-and-black colours.

“They kept me at the front and made sure I stayed cool and hydrated on this hot day,” she said. “I started the first ascent of Corkscrew Road in a good position. The UAE riders played their tactics well, which unfortunately meant I had to let them go.”

While the result came with a hint of frustration, Van Dam emphasized the bigger picture after three days of consistent racing against the world’s best.

“It was the first time I was in a position where I could fight for overall victory,” she said.

“Looking back on the past three days, I can only be proud of how we raced as a team. We learned a lot here and will take this experience into the next races.”

Van Dam impressed in 2025, coming close to victories multiple times in some big races. Second in a stage at Itzulia Women, and third overall, for example. She also finished fifth at the Tour of Britain. Her form is clearly there with the season already beginning, and it’s only a matter of time before she takes a big dub.

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