Dylan van Baarle starts 2025 with nasty crash Down Under, Brennan second in WorldTour debut

While Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe convincingly took control in the final three kilometers ahead of eventual winner Sam Welsford, many other riders at the back of the big group suddenly came to a halt. They included Tom Paquot (Intermarché-Wanty), Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost), Henok Mulubhran (XDS Astana), and Australian champion Luke Durbridge (Jayco AlUla), who saw the asphalt from up close, but Van Baarle seemed to be one of the most heavily bruised men.

Van Baarle asked to participate in the Tour Down Under after 2024 but was marked by bad luck. "Especially after last year, which didn't go the way I wanted, it seemed like a good idea to start early and get that engine going again,' he said about it in his podcast In Koers.

Teammate Julien Vermote turned to check on his buddy while Pieter Serry signaled that Van Baarle needed medical support. Visma | Lease a Bike reported afterward that the Dutch rider did reach the finish line, where he saw that his young teammate Matthew Brennan had secured second place. Brennan came tantalizingly close to overtaking Welsford but pushed his wheel over the finish line just a bit later.

While Van Baarle goes to the hotel room feeling bummed, Brennan will be more pleased. Finishing second in your first WorldTour race is not given to many men. "This is a fantastic result, and I'm pleased with it," Brennan said afterward. "I have to thank the team—they worked hard for me all day. In the final kilometers, we wanted to take our chance and see how close we could get. I spotted a gap on the left side of the road and decided to go for it. I think I had a strong sprint, but in the end, I came up just short. At this level, there's no shame in that," the 19-year-old Briton said through the Dutch team's communication channels.

"Before the race, I would have gladly signed up for a podium finish in my very first WorldTour event. Of course, it stings a little to miss out on the win by such a small margin. But it's amazing to be starting tomorrow in the white jersey. This was a hectic season opener, but one I'll remember for a long time. This second place gives me a lot of confidence. I think we've started this Tour Down Under on the right foot as a team," said the youngster, who will get another chance to go for the stage win on Wednesday in the stage to Tanunda if the race scenario goes his way.