\nLap #2 – 42km to go<\/p>\n
Break rolls through the KOM #2, the cat 3 Lower Willunga Hill, which is at the finish line, and the start of lap #2 with a gap of 46 seconds.<\/p>\n
Greenwood led the duo through with Plapp on his wheel as they get the bell.<\/p>\n
2026-01-24T01:45:56.269Z<\/p>\n
Tension is rising, as we are getting close to the wind section where the crash happened earlier.<\/p>\n
2026-01-24T01:44:38.765Z<\/p>\n
Cavagna is back in the field, led by Oliver Bleddyn (Australia) followed by Ineos.<\/p>\n
Interesting as the Australian team have a rider in the break with Greenwood, especially since their sprinter Liam Walsh is out.<\/p>\n
2026-01-24T01:40:10.384Z<\/p>\n
Cavagna sits up, leaving Plapp and Greenwood to continue in the break.<\/p>\n
2026-01-24T01:36:58.915Z<\/p>\n
Lull before the …. wind in the peloton. Ineos, Astana and Visma all represented at the front.<\/p>\n
2026-01-24T01:36:09.758Z<\/p>\n
Plapp has been pouring water over himself all day. The break now has 1:55 with 51km to go as they get support from the neutral service.<\/p>\n
Cavagna seems to be struggling with the heat.<\/p>\n
2026-01-24T01:34:42.497Z<\/p>\n
Jake Stewart also went down in the earlier crash and was forced to abandon.<\/p>\n
Best wishes to all riders who went down.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Jake Stewart has been forced to abandon @tourdownunder after crashing on stage 4. He is in the ambulance en route to hospital. We will update on his condition as soon as possible.\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa #TourDownUnder #WeAreNSN pic.twitter.com\/3cH6cTfC2SJanuary 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:32:39.623Z<\/p>\n From earlier in the stage, the peloton racing by the beach<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:31:22.382Z<\/p>\n Liam Walsh (Australia) was caught behind the crash and called it a day.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:27:43.124Z<\/p>\n Nasty little kicker with a headwind as the peloton goes through the feedzone.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:23:36.360Z<\/p>\n Visma at the front once again. So far, they have not managed to provide sprinter Matthew Brennan with a perfect leadout. Will the third time be the charm? Of course, first they have to catch the break.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:19:23.188Z<\/p>\n Peloton is spread across the road as it raises slightly, leaving the beach.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:15:21.260Z<\/p>\n Visma has taken control on the pack, as the whole team lined up at the front with one Lotto rider slotted in second wheel behind T. Rex. Tudor are lined up beside them.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:12:54.982Z<\/p>\n Halfway through the stage, the break goes through the first intermediate sprint with 2:33 on the peloton.<\/p>\n Plapp, the highest placed rider on GC in the break, led them through the line, followed by Cavagna and Greenwood.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:08:26.234Z<\/p>\n Headwind for the break trio as they race along the beachfront.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:06:21.333Z<\/p>\n Break just rode through the sharp right-hand turn and are now racing by the beach, as they approach the first intermediate sprint at Snapper Point.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:02:59.312Z<\/p>\n More riders, including KOM leader Urianstad,, caught in or behind the crash, are rejoining the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:02:12.966Z<\/p>\n In the break, Cavagna, Greenwood and Plapp, have 2:11 on the peloton with 72km to go.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:01:21.719Z<\/p>\n Less impact from the wind as the route changed direction. Group is regrouping slightly.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T01:00:21.548Z<\/p>\n Two riders that have abandoned following the crash are Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:58:45.663Z<\/p>\n Ineos and Red Bull are trying to split the peloton even more.<\/p>\n Average speed so far has been 52kmph!<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:57:32.423Z<\/p>\n Riders are trying to use the cars to make it back to the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:57:01.177Z<\/p>\n Red Bull, Ineos, Lidl and EF are at the front.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:56:29.815Z<\/p>\n Peloton has split in half under pressure from the pace and the wind.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:55:28.430Z<\/p>\n Riders using the gravel section on the left-hand side of the road to hide from the wind with 78km to go.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:54:59.195Z<\/p>\n KOM #1 results<\/p>\n 1- Matthew Greenwood (Australia)<\/p>\n 2- R\u00e9mi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United)<\/p>\n 3- Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla)<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:54:09.765Z<\/p>\n Riders accelerating at the front of the peloton, as they are flying towards the windier section.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:53:26.109Z<\/p>\n Decathlon pushing the pace at the front, followed by Ineos and then Vine sandwiched between two UAE teammates.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:51:57.865Z<\/p>\n Race leader Jay Vine is still in the peloton after that big crash. Teams involved in the crash were NSN, UAE and more.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:49:44.224Z Big crash in the peloton as the teams battled for position in the wind, at around 77km to go.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:49:06.606Z Break goes through the KOM #2, a tough drag to the finish line on the cat.3 on Lower Willunga Hill<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:47:25.966Z<\/p>\n NSN goes to the peloton hits the exposed roads. The acceleration has decreased the gap to 3:22.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:45:30.626Z<\/p>\n Red Bull takes over the front of the peloton, and ups the pace slightly. They now have two riders at the front, as the other teams jostle for position.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:44:09.852Z<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear what Ethan Vernon (NSN) told Seven this morning in Brighton. His teammate Jake Stewart finished fourth on stage 4.<\/p>\n \u201cI was only expecting two opportunities, so to get an extra one gave a bit of morale last night, after the stage didn’t go our way, and to refocus and reset for today. So, I’m looking to make the most of today’s opportunity.”<\/p>\n About possible crosswinds: “We’ve got a really strong team here for lead out, which normally goes well in the crosswinds. So I think the wind will play a factor today. And we just got to stay out of trouble and stay on the front foot, but also save a bit for a sprint as well.”<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:42:35.467Z<\/p>\n The whole Ineos team is now at the front of the peloton, as UAE seems perfectly fine with the trio up the road, for now.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:38:42.238Z<\/p>\n Three riders in the break are R\u00e9mi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United), Matthew Greenwood (Australia), and Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla)<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:36:33.310Z<\/p>\n Gap continues to go up for the three riders in the break, Cavagna, Greenwood and Plapp, now at 3L07 with 94km to go.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:35:54.667Z<\/p>\n A few days ago, on the same finish in Willunga township, Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez) sprinted to victory on stage 1 of the Women’s Tour Down Under after the lone breakaway was caught with 50 metres to go.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:32:30.178Z<\/p>\n Back in 2023, on a stage that also finished in Willunga township, Bryan Coquard sprinted to victory from a small group that formed in the crosswinds.<\/p>\n It was his 49th win and his first WorldTour victory after 10 years of racing.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:29:40.692Z<\/p>\n Peloton goes through feedzone with Visma;s Tim Rex grabbing multiple bottles.<\/p>\n (what a great name for a bike racer…. T. Rex)<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:27:58.150Z<\/p>\n With the gap hitting the 2-minute mark, Plapp is now the virtual leader on the road.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:27:32.524Z<\/p>\n Greenwood struggles to grab a water bottle in the feedzone but he did manage to get one out of two.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:26:00.103Z<\/p>\n Multiple teams at the front of the peloton: Jayco, EF Education, Uno-X, Visma and Bahrain with a gap of 1:44 to the 3-riders in the break with 104km to go<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:19:24.394Z<\/p>\n Plapp is dousing himself in water, supplied by the neutral service car.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:18:02.429Z<\/p>\n Riders know that the wind could be a factor as soon as they come off this descent. No one wants to be caught out if crosswinds do hit.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:16:47.614Z<\/p>\n Jayco, EF Education and Bahrain at the front of the peloton, which so far has not allowed the break of 3 to really pull away. Gap at 52 seconds with 111km to go,<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:12:51.306Z<\/p>\n Jayco, and Visma at the front of the peloton, keeping the three escapees at 45 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:11:14.413Z<\/p>\n Urianstad goes to the front of the peloton to take fourth place across the KOM line and nab a few more points.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:10:34.408Z<\/p>\n Cavagna leads the break across the top, followed by Greenwood and Plapp. No one really interested in the points.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:07:43.699Z<\/p>\n Plapp calls for neutral support for a water bottle. Gap is not high enough to get team cars in the gap.<\/p>\n Break is climbing the cat. 1 Chandlers Hill with max pitches of 8%, and average gradient of 5.8%<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:06:00.037Z The three riders in the break – R\u00e9mi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United), Matthew Greenwood (Australia), Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) – have one minute on the field with 119km to go.<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:05:01.402Z<\/p>\n When asked how UAE Team Emirates-XRG planned to tackle the altered stage, sports director Fabrizio Guidi told Cyclingnews: \u201cYeah, actually, it is kind of a defending mode. It’s windy, and when it’s a sprint stage, it’s always difficult. Like yesterday, you saw crashes and all these things and we would always start anyway with a huge concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can never relax, never because everybody thinks it’s easy, it’s easy, but at the end of the day we need to do these 130 km and then tomorrow also, so that’s not the case. We have first and second, and we know that the others are not here for fun. They want to win. It’s a competition. Full respect and keep going like this.\u201d<\/p>\n 2026-01-24T00:03:41.031Z<\/p>\n Defending champion and second on GC going into this stage, Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) abandons after a hard crash. Best wishes.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:58:47.391Z<\/p>\n Another rider from Australia team is trying to bridge across as UAE, team of race leader Jay Vine, are at the front of the field.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:57:44.602Z<\/p>\n Other riders are trying to get across the 20-second gap.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:55:26.077Z<\/p>\n Crash. Narvaez went down in the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:54:15.053Z<\/p>\n R\u00e9mi Cavagna, Greenwood and Luke Plapp are now trying to get away. Plapp goes to the front, and ups the pace.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:53:17.839Z<\/p>\n Peloton is already strung out, as more riders try to get away.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:52:17.470Z<\/p>\n Duo is dragged back in by Guillaume Martin. All back together.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:51:22.451Z<\/p>\n Jayco is leading the chase as Urianstad, driving the move, looks behind him.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:50:28.279Z<\/p>\n Big reaction coming from the peloton. Everyone wants to go in the break.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:49:42.576Z<\/p>\n Matthew Greenwood is the first to attack. And KOM leader Martin Urianstad quickly jumps on his wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:48:43.022Z<\/p>\n Flag drop from the race director Stuart O\u2019Grady, and we are racing!<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:45:07.528Z<\/p>\n Stage 2 winner Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) leads the general classification with six seconds on his teammate Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez. Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) sits in third place, 1:05 down.<\/p>\n Stage 1 winner Tobias Lund Andresen (Uno-X Mobility) leads the points classification. Michael Leonard (EF Education-EasyPost) tops the best young rider classification, and after spending three days in the break, Martin Urianstad (Uno-X Mobility) tops the mountain classification.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:43:38.614Z<\/p>\n The road will immediately start to go up when the flag drops, for an uncategorized climb leading for the first KOM, cresting 13.2km into the stage.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:41:58.978Z<\/p>\n Very nervous peloton, swarming the race director’s car.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:40:47.760Z<\/p>\n The 136 riders are off for the 3km neutral zone. Given the new profile, this stage could be one for the sprinters again, or will the wind cause chaos?<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:35:34.952Z<\/p>\n In the revamped stage 4, riders will face 130.8km from Brighton to Willunga. Action begins beachside Brighton before travelling through coastal sprints at Aldinga’s Snapper Point and Port Willunga, with peloton set to pass many of McLaren Vale\u2019s best wineries along the way. Racing will finish on Willunga\u2019s main street after a double lap.<\/p>\n The finish line will be on High Street in the Willunga township, in the same spot as stage 1 of the Women’s Tour Down Under, where Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-SUEZ) sprinted to victory.<\/p>\n 2026-01-23T23:30:16.199Z<\/p>\n Willunga Hill has been removed from stage 4 of the Santos Tour Down Under, due to the Extreme fire danger rating for the area and forecast maximum temperatures of 43\u00b0C.<\/p>\n![\"WILLUNGA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6fySkpzPHesAzeL8STPVbR.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nCrash in the peloton<\/p>\n
\nStart of lap #1 – 84km to go<\/p>\n![\"WILLUNGA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/orBSGuj3aXvVfDUKD8QTXm.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nBreak<\/p>\n