Welsford on the ground after five kilometers, but still wins: "Bloody hell," Brennan didn’t get to sprint
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Follow us on GoogleAustralian sprinter Sam Welsford won the second stage of the Tour Down Under just as he did in the opening stage. After a 128-kilometer stage in and around Tanunda, he was again superbly launched by his lead-out Danny van Poppel. Although Van Poppel was later relegated, Welsford finished the job impeccably and secured the victory. Matthew Brennan did not get to sprint.
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Last year, Welsford won three stages at the Tour Down Under; this year, he is well on his way to doing the same. "Bloody hell," Welsford said afterward in the flash interview about the stage. "It was bike off in the first 5k to the race, which was less than ideal. It was a pretty hard day out there. The break of three came back quite early, and then everyone started getting quite nervous."
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Welsford
Welford fought till the last stretch and was brought perfectly
The focal point of the stage was Menglers Hill (2.8 km at 6.6%). Three times, the climb had to be done, the last one at 23 kilometers from the finish. "The last time up the climb, I was on my limit. Had the boys around me the whole climb, so we kept calm and did a really good job of getting over.' He had been dropped out of the peloton by then, though. While one half of the team stayed with Welsford, the other half at the front tried to keep everything together. 'Attacks were coming after a while. I was hoping everything would come back on the downhill and eventually got back home."
After that, the Australian was perfectly positioned. "The boys sat really patiently; we knew it was a long, hard finish with the wind. We hit the front quite early, but the boys did some long turns there."
From the crash at the beginning of the stage, the sprinter did not have terrible injuries. "Not too bad. I've had worse. I just healed my left side from a crash during the nationals, but now it's my right side. At least I have balanced it out a bit."
Brennan simply failed to show himself
Brennan of Visma l Lease a Bike finished nicely second yesterday and started today in the Zwift young rider's jersey. During the second stage, the young Brit simply was not up to the task. "It was a hectic final," Brennan recalled. "On the last climb, we did a great job as a team, but unfortunately, I couldn't compete for the win. There are still a few opportunities, and I look forward to tomorrow's stage. It's a tough stage, and I'm curious to see how far I can get there."
Yesterday, the Brit did pick up a nice statistic. At 19 years and 168 days, he was the youngest rider to finish on the podium in a WorldTour race since 1931. Still, it's a nice statistic to bring home.
Sports director Addy Engels also saw that the team did a good job, but unfortunately, Brennan was unable to make it to the finale. "Unfortunately, we didn't manage to create a gap with the pure sprinters, and in the end, it became a bunch sprint with all the top sprinters together. Brennan was still in a good position for a long time but ultimately couldn't sprint for the win." Tomorrow, the Dutch team will focus on Tom Gloag and his GC.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026
- Calling Onley a contender for an overall Tour win already feels a bit premature, especially after the injury setbacks. Still, the depth of talent is exciting.robert6513-11-2026
- Great to see Dickson’s route from triathlon to the WorldTour getting recognition. Scottish cycling has plenty to be proud of, and the 2027 Grand Départ could give the next generation a real lift.patriciaw13-11-2026
- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
- Mason winning in Niel is huge—beating that kind of Belgian field in the mud takes serious class. The Kelvingrove World Cup could be an unforgettable homecoming.breakawaybikerd13-11-2026
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026