Visma | Lease a Bike pinpoints what went wrong with Brennan while winner Welsford is celebrating
CyclingFriday, 23 January 2026 at 09:22
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Follow us on GoogleThe third road stage of the Tour Down Under was won on Friday by Sam Welsford of INEOS Grenadiers. He managed to get himself over the climbs in South Australia and was rewarded with a stage win — his seventh already in his home race. Matthew Brennan and Visma | Lease a Bike didn’t really make it into the sprint.
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There had to be hard racing on the way, as the breakaway with Martin Urianstad (Uno-X), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché) hammered along strongly. Among others, Danny van Poppel and Juan Sebastian Molano had to drop off the peloton as a result, which was also nearly the case for the eventual stage winner.
“We were in so much trouble at the back, I was really at my limit on the last climb. My teammates told me: come on, you can do it. That these guys have so much belief in me after such a hard year… I’m absolutely over the moon with it,” Welsford said.
The Aussie opened his account for INEOS and that clearly suited him well. “I can’t thank my team enough, this win is for them. I really wanted to start the year well for this squad, because as I said: they really believe in me. I want to give that belief back,” he added.
Visma is left empty-handed
Visma | Lease a Bike controlled the entire day in service of leader Matthew Brennan, but ultimately could not compete for a good result. “Matthew went to the front too early on his own. Tim Rex did an absolutely stellar job all day by taking on the chase,” said sporting director Jesper Morkov.
“When the last breakaway rider was caught, we tried to position Matthew as well as possible, but unfortunately he was on his own too early and other teams came past him with more speed,” the Dane observed.
On Saturday and Sunday, there are rides to Willunga and Stirling, respectively. “It's going to be a very tough day, partly due to the high temperatures. As a team, we will try to support Anton Schiffer as much as possible. He deserves that after what he has already shown this week,” said Morkov.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
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- - Bit cautious here. Hayter’s had stop-start seasons with crashes/illness and I still don’t know if he’s a GC week-long guy or a TT/sprint hybrid. Curious whether they build around him or Pidcock first.pedalpowe2910-09-2026
- - Hayter’s engine + Q5’s growing train could smash team TTs and medium sprint stages. Mauro Schmid + Bittner coming too? That’s a nasty lead-out combo if they gel.cyclechamp4510-09-2026
- - Can someone explain how ProTeams get Tour invites? If Q5 aren’t automatic, what results do they need—UCI points, one-day wins, or stage race podiums? Confused how that process works.samanthak10-09-2026
- - Love the Edinburgh Grand Départ angle. If ASO is on the fence, a British TT champ in form plus Pidcock makes that wildcard case much stronger. Q5 look less like a ProTeam and more like a budding GC/ Classics hybrid.jennifer1910-09-2026
- - Not sure the piece nails the contract timing. Says “for 2027” but what about 2025–26? Is he staying at Soudal through 2026 even after being told no extension? Sounds a bit contradictory tbh.robert6510-09-2026
- - Huge if true. Hayter to Q5 alongside Pidcock, Wright and Gloag gives them a legit British core. With Glasenberg’s backing they’re clearly aiming at TdF wildcardHope he nails today’s TT after missing the Bilbao opener by09s—that’s been haunting him all Vuelta.tourdeforce910-09-2026
- - Love the honesty about hesitating because of Remco’s messages. Ego flattered but head ruled. That’s grown-up stuff. Vamos Tim, forza UAE!andrewf10-09-2026
- - “Brand team” line threw me. Does he mean title sponsor obligations? Either way, UAE pays the wages—totally get it. Bon courage Tim, allez!tourdeforce910-09-2026
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