The Santos Tour Down Under kicked off its 25th-anniversary celebrations in spectacular style, with Sam Welsford delivering a perfectly executed sprint victory to claim Ziptrak Stage 1.
Riding for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, the road & track allrounder showcased his class and timing as he surged past Great Britain’s Matthew Brennan (Team Visma-Lease A Bike) and Groupama-FDJ’s Matthew Walls to claim the top spot at the Gumeracha finish.
Welsford, now leading the race, mirrored his opening-stage success from last year’s TDU, taking his fourth Santos Tour Down Under stage win in just two years.
Welsford Reflects Upon Hard-Fought Win
“We had our backs up against the wall from the start,” Welsford said. “No one wanted to help us out there today—we kind of expected that. But we kept the break in check, and when some teams finally joined in with about 60 km to go, the gaps started coming down. The pressure was on, and I’m really relieved to take the win.”
Early Break Makes Its Mark
The day started with fireworks as ARA Australian Cycling Team’s Zac Marriage and Fergus Browning launched a daring attack from the gun at Prospect. The 21-year-olds held their lead until 40 km from the finish, trading Ziptrak Sprint and efex King of the Mountain bonuses along the way.
Their effort earned them joint honours as most competitive riders, with Browning also securing the King of the Mountain jersey for Wednesday’s Stage 2 from Tanunda to Tanunda.
“It was a hard and rewarding day,” Marriage said. “This is my home race, and I train on these roads every day. To show what we can do from kilometre zero was amazing.”
Key Stage Highlights
Ziptrak Sprints:
- Sprint #1 (40.9 km, Williamstown): Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) snatched the first bonus of the UCI WorldTour season, finishing ahead of Marriage and Browning.
- Sprint #2 (100.5 km, Birdwood): Marriage and Browning dominated again, while pre-race favourite Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team-XRG) reduced the gap to just over two minutes before the bell lap.
efex King of the Mountain:
- KOM #1 (Kangaroo Creek Reservoir, 11.2 km): Browning took maximum points ahead of Marriage and Tronchon.
- KOM #2 (Berry Hill Climb 2, 77.9 km): Browning and Marriage reversed roles, with Browning taking top points in a tactical trade-off.
- KOM #3 (Berry Hill Climb 2, 121.1 km): Browning and Marriage again led the charge, but Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) joined the duo to earn three points, while Paul Ourselin (Cofidis) picked up the final KOM point of the day.
With Welsford wearing the ochre leader’s jersey and Browning in polka dots, all eyes now turn to Stage 2’s Tanunda-to-Tanunda circuit. As the heat intensifies on the road, so does the battle for the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under crown.
Stage 1 Image Gallery








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