Santos Tour Down Under 2024 Wrap-Up

Top Riders

All information was gathered from PCS.

Sprinters:

1. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain – Victorious)
2. Sam Welsford (BORA – hansgrohe)
3. Caleb Ewan (Team Jayco AlUla)
4. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty)

GC contenders:

1. Simon Yates (Team Jayco AlUla)
2. Jack Haig (Bahrain – Victorious)
3. Fillipo Ganna (INEOS Genadiers)
4. Ben Zwiehoff (BORA – hansgrohe)

Climbers:

1. Simon Yates (Team Jayco AlUla)
2. Corbin Strong (Israel – Premier Tech)
3. Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché – Wanty)
4. Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal – Quick Step)

Santos Tour Down Under Stage 1

Tanunda -> Tanunda

Distance: 144 km

Elevation Gain: 1700m

Average Speed: 41.95 km/h

Results:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Sam Welsford	BORA – hansgrohe	3:25:56
2	Phil Bauhaus	Bahrain – Victorious	“
3	Biniam Girmay	Intermarché – Wanty	“
4	Caleb Ewan	Team Jayco AlUla	“
5	Jhonatan Narváez	INEOS Grenadiers	“

Notable Performances:

Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers):

Somewhat of an all-rounder, Narváez clearly has form after his victory at the Down Under Classic. But 5^th against pure sprinters is very impressive. Especially as someone who can also win Grand Tour mountain stages, like he did so on stage 12 of the 2020 Giro d’Italia.

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BORA – hansgrohe’s Lead out Train:

An outstanding performance from BORA! They flawlessly delivered Welsford to the 200m to go sign, and no one had the strength to come around, despite Girmay approaching with speed. This raises the question: will we witness BORA achieve more success on sprint stages at grand tours? In 2023, they secured a victory on the Champs-Élysées with Jordi Meeus, but could we see them be more consistently competitive with the likes of Alpecin – Deceuninck and Soudal – Quick Step?

Santos Tour Down Under Stage 2

Norwood -> Lobethal

Distance: 141.6 km

Elevation Gain: 2550m

Average Speed: 40.53 km/h

Results:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates	3:29:37
2	Corbin Strong	Israel – Premier Tech	“
3	Stephen Williams	Israel – Premier Tech	“
4	Biniam Girmay	Intermarché – Wanty	“
5	Caleb Ewan	Team Jayco AlUla	“

Notable Performances: 

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates)

The first WorldTour victory for Del Toro, the 20-year-old Mexican rider. An impressive performance, attacking with around 1 km to go, he successfully held off the peloton as teams hesitated for too long. Taking the yellow jersey, he’s definitely a rider to watch in the future. In 2023, he won the overall classification at the Tour de l’Avenir, one of the most significant stage races for U23 riders. Additionally, he secured a 2nd-place finish at the Down Under Classic, just two days before the start of this race.

Stephen Williams (Israel – Premier Tech)

A very impressive sprint from the British pure climber/GC rider, finishing 3^rd. Especially considering he was leading out his punchier team make Corbin Strong! Managing to lead out Strong from 400 meters to go yet still managing to finish in front of Ewan and Girmay is no small feat.

Santos Tour Down Under Stage 3

Tea Tree Gully -> Campbelltown

Distance: 145.3 km

Elevation Gain: 1600m

Average Speed: 43.43 km/h

Results:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Sam Welsford	BORA – hansgrohe	3:20:42
2	Elia Viviani	INEOS Grenadiers	“
3	Daniel McLay	Arkéa – B&B Hotels	“
4	Laurence Pithie	Groupama – FDJ	“
5	Max Kanter	Astana Qazaqstan Team	“

Notable Performances: 

Laurence Pithie (Groupama – FDJ)

This marks a fantastic start to the season for the 21-year-old rider, now in his second year at WorldTour with Groupama – FDJ. He is someone to keep an eye on! In 2023, he secured victory in the French 1.1 race, Cholet – Pays de la Loire, and achieved numerous top 10 finishes in WorldTour events. As he currently doesn’t have a contract for 2025, it will be intriguing to see which team manages to secure his talents.

Santos Tour Down Under Stage 4

Murray Bridge -> Port Elliot

Distance: 136.2 km

Elevation Gain: 575m

Average Speed: 45.44 km/h

Results:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Sam Welsford	BORA – hansgrohe	2:59:50
2	Biniam Girmay	Intermarché – Wanty	“
3	Lars Boven	Alpecin – Deceuninck	“
4	Milan Fretin	Cofidis	“
5	Laurence Pithie	Groupama – FDJ	“

Notable Performances: 

Sam Welsford (BORA – hansgrohe)

Securing his 3rd win at the Santos Tour Under is undoubtedly an impressive start to the season. The move to the German squad, BORA – hansgrohe, appears to have been a wise decision. However, it remains to be seen if he can maintain this level throughout the year. It’s worth noting that the sprinting field in this year’s race may not be the most competitive. The real test will come when he faces strong competitors like Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij, and Arnaud De Lie.

Antoine Huby (Soudal – Quick Step)

Finishing 8th in a WorldTour sprint is impressive for anyone, especially for someone fresh from the amateur ranks. The young Frenchman, who secured a two-year contract with Soudal – Quick Step, had previously been riding for Vendée U, TotalEnergies’ development team. If he continues to perform at this level, he is likely to receive more offers in the near future.

Santos Tour Down Under Stage 5

Christies Beach -> Willunga Hill

Distance: 129.3 km

Elevation Gain: 1437m

Average Speed: 45 km/h

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Results:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Oscar Onley	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	2:52:23
2	Stephen Williams	Israel – Premier Tech	“
3	Jhonatan Narváez	INEOS Grenadiers	“
4	Julian Alaphilippe	Soudal – Quick Step	+0:03
5	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	“

Notable Performances: 

Oscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL)

His first WorldTour win, and it won’t be the last! While he may not be the most widely recognized name, at the age of only 21, there is much more to come for Onley. He made his first major mark on racing in 2022, where he finished 3^rd on GC at CRO Race. This was only a UCI 2.1 ranked race, but when you consider he finished just 10 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard on GC, his success on Willunga Hill is understandable.

Santos Tour Down Under Stage 6

Unley -> Mount Lofty

Distance: 128.2 km

Elevation Gain: 2344m

Average Speed: 41.48 km/h

Results:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Stephen Williams	Israel – Premier Tech	3:05:26
2	Jhonatan Narváez	INEOS Grenadiers	“
3	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates	“
4	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	“
5	Laurence Pithie	Groupama – FDJ	+0:03

Notable Performances: 

Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)

Although aged 28, it’s only Lemmen’s first year in the WorldTour after signing a two-year deal with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. To finish 5th overall at his first-ever WorldTour stage race is very impressive. We hope to see him lead his new team again, but if the chance doesn’t arise, he will add a lot of strength when working for the main leaders. He is set to race the UAE Tour, so keep an eye out for him on Jebel Hafeet.

Final GC

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Stephen Williams	Israel – Premier Tech	19:13:34
2	Jhonatan Narváez	INEOS Grenadiers	+0:09
3	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates	+0:11
4	Oscar Onley	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+0:20
5	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	+0:23
6	Julian Alaphilippe	Soudal – Quick Step	+0:33
7	Simon Yates	Team Jayco AlUla	“
8	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+0:36
9	Damien Howson	Australia	+0:42
10	Jack Haig	Bahrain – Victorious	+0:50

Wrap-Up

Williams may not be the biggest name in cycling, but after this performance, he is certainly not someone to overlook. He has achieved success in weeklong stage races before, such as the 2023 Arctic Race of Norway and the 2021 CRO Race, where he secured GC wins. However, he has only participated in two Grand Tours. It would be exciting to see how he fares when competing against the big names in cycling.

Sam Welsford is on fire but it would be great to see him at a race like the UAE Tour. Therefore, we can watch him sprint against some bigger names, which would be great for the fans but also get a better understanding of his level. He’s set to race the Giro d’Italia this year, so we could witness him achieve his first Grand Tour Win.

Read More: Ceratizit WNT Pro Cycling Team 2024

What have we learnt from the Santos Tour Down Under 2024? The event has showcased a considerable influx of young talent, with standout performances from riders like Del Toro and Onley. However, the list of promising talent is extensive, including various riding styles. It’s intriguing to observe the teams that are placing a greater emphasis on younger riders. Notably, Groupama – FDJ and Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL as they boast the youngest teams, with a joint average age of 26 years. Even as the highest-ranked team, UAE Team Emirates is not far behind with an average age of 26.7 years. This suggests a growing trend towards nurturing and investing in emerging talents within the professional cycling.

On the other hand, it’s a shame we didn’t see more from Caleb Ewan. Ewan is set to race both the Giro and Vuelta; it would be great to see him secure a WorldTour victory, with his last one dating back to stage 3 of the 2022 Tirreno-Adriatico. Hopefully, moving back to his former Australian team, Team Jayco AlUla, for 2024 and 2025 will spark something to change. After all, he’s only 29.

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