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Sunday, January 26, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
You can observe a lot by just watching. - Yogi Berra
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the Tour de France, 2022: The Fastest Tour Ever is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- January 17 - 26: Tour Down Under
- January 26: Classica Comunitat a Valenciana 1969
Upcoming racing:
- January 29 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
Latest completed racing:
- January 25: Ruta de la Cerámica - Gran Premio Castellón
- January 3: X20 Trofee Koksijde-Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Cross
- January 1: GP Sven Nys Cross
- December 30: Diegem Cyclocross
- December 26: Gavere Cyclocross
- December 27: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
- December 15: Namur Cyclocross-Citadelcross
- November 17: Flandriencross
- November 3: European Cyclocross Championships
- November 1: X20 Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
We posted the report from second-place Oscar Onley's Team Picnic PostNL with the results.
Here's the report from the race organizer:
Jhonatan Narváez is looming as the first Ecuadorian to claim a prestigious Santos Tour Down Under UCI WorldTour crown after winning an incredible stage atop Willunga Hill on Saturday.
Narváez claimed Stage 5 when he soloed about 300m from the top of the summit to take the win. The victory propelled Narváez to head of the general classification.
Jhonatan Narvaez wins stage five.
The 27-year-old said his team had targeted an overall victory before arriving from its European preseason – either for his Australian teammate Jay Vine, who won the race in 2023, or himself.
Narváez will wear the Santos Ochre Leader’s jersey on Sunday for the final Schwalbe Stage 6 on the streets of Adelaide.
“I was feeling well at every stage; Jay wasn’t feeling so good he had a crash (on Friday),” Narvaez said. “That was our tactic, to win the race with me or him (Vine).”
Narváez has a nine-second lead over Spain’s Javier Romo Oliver, who has worn the leader’s jersey since winning efex Stage 3 from Norwood to Uraidla on Thursday.
Romo Oliver was four seconds ahead of the Ecuadorian on Saturday morning before the race produced fireworks.
Five-time Santos Tour Down Under stage winner Sam Welsford crashed for a second time during the race, but the Australian dusted himself down and was checked by the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe doctor before jumping back on his bike.
Welsford said he now wants to add another stage to his impressive CV, with the final Schwabe Stage 6 pedalling off in the city streets of Adelaide on Sunday afternoon.
The race
Sprint #2 — Esplanade at Snapper Point near Butterworth Road, Aldinga Beach 96.6km. Four riders continued to lead the stage heading towards the coastal Snapper Point at Aldinga.
Ben Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) earned a valuable bonus for being first, followed by Jayco AlUla's Michael Hepburn and ARA Australia’s Oliver Bleddyn.
Teams and riders started preparing to tackle the steep side of Willunga Hill after the second intermediate sprint of the stage.
After going over the top of Santos Tour Down Under legend Richie Porte’s favourite climb into the Willunga township – essentially the other way around before the two intermediate sprints – the men enjoyed a very rapid descent on Old Willunga Hill Road.
However, this time they tackled the famed hill – dominated seven times by Porte – for efex King of the Mountain bonuses and the chance to make history in the grand finale.
King of the Mountain #2 — Willunga Hill 1 7.4% 11.0% 3.00km 123.0km. The main peloton pedalled hard to chase down an attack which had a lead of 1 min 35 sec with 35.1km to go before the finish.
The quartet were all swallowed up by the main peloton about 500m from the Willunga Hill summit before Jayco AlUla’s Chris Harper and Swiss teammate Mauro Schmid battled for pole position.
Schmid, who won Friday’s Yamaha Most Competitive Rider title, prevailed over Harper.
King of the Mountain #3 — Willunga Hill 1 7.4% 11.0% 3.00km 145.6km. Saturday's Santos Ochre Jersey leader Javier Romo Oliver soloed to the top of the final Willunga summit of the day.
However, inside the final 300m Narvaez used his Ecuadorian climbing experience to claim the famed queen stage atop Willunga Hill.
Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) was second and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) was third.
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Here’s the Tour Down Under report from stage winner Jhonatan Narvaez's UAE Team Emirates:
Jhonatan Narváez produced a ride of the highest quality to win stage 5 of the Santos Tour Down Under and take the lead of the race atop Willunga Hill.
The Ecuadorian national champion bided his time up the second and final ascent of Australia’s most iconic climb and with a little over 200m to ride, the 27-year-old produced a race-winning sprint to leave his rivals chasing his coattails. With the victory and associated bonus seconds, Narváez takes an all-important nine-second lead of the Tour Down Under heading into the sixth and final stage on Sunday.
Jhonatan Narváez will start stage 6 in ochre.
Having started the day in second place on general classification, Narváez was positioned expertly by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates throughout the stage.
Undeterred by crosswind chaos in advance of the final climb, the new race leader produced a valiant display to stay in touch with his rivals and allow himself the opportunity to sprint for victory. In claiming stage 5, Narváez takes UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s first victory of the 2025 campaign and takes the ochre jersey into the final stage.
“We planned to win the race with Jay or with me,” Narváez told the awaiting media after the finish. “I was feeling well every day and obviously Jay had a crash yesterday, so it was the plan for me to go for the win today and I am so glad we did it.
“I think we managed it really well today because Ineos made the crosswinds but in the end, we came back and I survived the climb to do the sprint,” he continued, before looking ahead to stage 6 on Sunday.
“In this race, I think this gap is a lot and we will try to manage it tomorrow. It is a short stage and it will be fast and hot, but we have a good strong team to manage it.”
It all begins to sink in for Jhony
From the flag drop, UAE Team Emirates were at the head of the action through Narváez’s roommate, Pablo Torres. The 19-year-old Spaniard attacked off the front of the peloton and joined a breakaway alongside five other riders. Sitting close to the race leader at the beginning of the stage, however, Torres was not allowed much leeway by the team of then-race leader, Javier Romo.
With his presence up front hampering the chances of the breakaway, Torres was forced to drop back to the peloton and return to the side of his teammates. His good work would not end there, though, with the youngster providing invaluable support for Narváez and Jay Vine throughout the afternoon.
The breakaway of the day managed to gain a healthy advantage but with two ascents of Willunga Hill on the cards, their hopes were always likely to be extinguished. As UAE Team Emirates-XRG worked hard to position its leaders, the pace of the peloton became ferocious within the final 40km.
On the first ascent of Willunga Hill, it was Jayco AlUla who produced a pair of probing attacks from Chris Harper and Mauro Schmid, but to his credit, Narváez remained calm and managed his effort. With a fast descent out of the way and Willunga Hill within view once more, Ineos Grenadiers dropped the hammer to produce a series of splits in the peloton, no doubt taking advantage of a healthy crosswind.
Both Vine and Narváez remained together in the second group on the road and little by little, a peloton began to reconvene towards the base of the final ascent. Never panicking, the Ecuadorian national champion tucked himself within the group and negotiated the final few bends before the road veered uphill.
Once on the climb, then-leader Romo produced a stinging attack that distanced his opponents and for a period, looked likely to stick. However, the group of favourites behind worked in unison to limit Romo’s advantage and pull themselves back to the front of the race. At this point, it was clear that bonus seconds over the finish line would be of the utmost importance, with Narváez beginning the day just four seconds shy of the race lead.
As such, the Ecuadorian patiently awaited the final few hundred metres before unleashing his sprint and showing his rivals a fresh pair of heels. Manoeuvring his hands from the hoods to the drops of his handlebars, Narváez accelerated with might and hit the front of the race for the first time. The 27-year-old had correctly analysed that a lead heading into the final left-hand bend would be essential, and so it proved.
Rounding the corner in first position, Narváez burst towards the finish line and rode to his first victory in UAE Team Emirates-XRG colours. It was no less than his performance deserved, with Oscar Onley and Finn Fisher-Black the next riders over the line.
“It was fantastic, absolutely,” commented sports director Fabio Baldato. “We hoped, we prepared and we went close on stages 3 and 4 – now finally, Jhony did a fantastic job on Willunga. The whole team were amazing from the start, all day next to Jhony, and I am really happy. We have already been here with the guys for two weeks and we just have a great group, with a great team spirit. It is the kind of victory which gives you even more satisfaction.
“With Jhony, we know he just needs to be confident in himself. He is a super talent who is super strong, but sometimes he just needs a push to believe in himself more and today he did a super job. I hope this gives him a boost to be absolutely sure of his potential. He is such a powerful and professional guy, he really deserves this.”
Narváez’s lead in the general classification stands at nine seconds over the second-placed Romo, with Fisher Black and Onley sitting a further three and six seconds down, respectively. The 27-year-old has tied level on 60 points with Sam Welsford in the sprinter’s classification and in the team classification, UAE Team Emirates-XRG sit two seconds behind Lidl-Trek in second place.
On Sunday, the peloton will race the sixth and final stage of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide. Sporting his ochre jersey as race leader, Narváez will seek to finish the job and take a first career WorldTour stage race GC victory. In Vine, Torres, Marc Soler, Rui Oliveira, Julius Johansen and Rune Herregodts, Narváez has an exceptional team to aid his bid.
Here’s the Tour Down Under report from seventh-place Thomas Gloag’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
In the tough fifth stage of the Santos Tour Down Under, Thomas Gloag rode to another top-ten place. The 23-year-old Brit from Team Visma | Lease a Bike finished seventh on Willunga Hill, just seconds behind stage winner Jhonatan Narvaez. Day before the final stage, Gloag moved up to eighth place in the general classification.
On the penultimate day of the Australian stage race, the peloton left McLaren Vale for 145 kilometres towards Willunga Hill. The double climb of the steep hill would be decisive. Unfortunately, Loe van Belle was involved in a crash in the opening phase of the race. The Dutchman had to abandon the race shortly afterwards.
Nearing the final climb of Willunga Hill, the last escapees were caught by the peloton. With the help of his teammates, Gloag was able to start the final climb in an excellent position. GC favourites Narvaez, Javier Romo and Finn Fisher-Black managed to break away with an ultimate acceleration in the closing metres. Gloag crossed the finish line six seconds behind stage winner Narvaez. The British rider heads towards the final stage as eighth overall.
Riders start climbing Willunga Hill. Sirotti photo
"We rode an alert race", sports director Addy Engels said afterwards. "We knew the stage would be decided on Willunga Hill. Shortly before the foot of the climb, the peloton broke into pieces. We were surprised too, but a strong effort by his teammates allowed Thomas to start the final climb in an excellent position. It was another great result for him. Thomas had a lot of bad luck last year, so it is great that he can show himself right away in this season opener."
On Sunday, the short final stage in Adelaide awaits. "We definitely want to try to go for a good result again with Matthew (Brennan)", Engels concludes. "There is definitely an opportunity for the fast riders. In addition, it will be important to defend Thomas' eighth place in the general classification."
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Here's the report from Magnus Sheffield's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Magnus Sheffield battled hard on the famous Willunga Hill climb and sits seventh overall with one stage to go at Tour Down Under.
The American crossed the line eighth at the summit following some superb work during the day from his INEOS Grenadiers teammates.
Ben Swift quickly powered into the stage's four-man break on the route around McLaren Vale, yet all eyes would, as always, be on the two ascents of Willunga.
INEOS Grenadiers rider Geraint Thomas just after the stage. Sirotti photo
First time up it Swift's break was caught, with Michal Kwiatkowski putting in an acceleration with 23.6km to go. That move drew out the first attacks, with Connor Swift keeping the pace high over the top.
The Grenadiers worked hard to pull the race back together on the flat approach to the finale, causing a split in the bunch after placing five riders in a select move at the front. Geraint Thomas, Kwiatkowski and Sam Watson formed a lead-out onto the climb. Lucas Hamilton protected Sheffield, ensuring he was well positioned with the GC favourites onto early slopes.
Overnight leader Javier Romo (Movistar) attacked immediately as the road ramped upwards, yet in the final metres it would be Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) who took the victory, moving into the ochre jersey in the process.
Sheffield now sits 27 seconds back heading into Sunday’s flat Adelaide finale.
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Here's the Tour Down Under report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Soudal Quick-Step animated the Australian race from the breakaway for the second day in a row. After Junior Lecerf on Friday, this time it was Pascal Eenkhoorn the one who got to spend the day at the front, after attacking and pushing hard as soon as the flag was dropped, a gutsy move that helped him carve out a 4:40 maximum advantage together with his three companions.
The Dutchman, who joined our team ahead of this season, was one of the strongest riders in the breakaway, putting in some mammoth turns at the front of the small group that got to stay away until the first ascent of the 3.3km-long Willunga Hill, Tour Down Under’s most iconic climb. It was only a joint effort of the GC teams, combined with the vicious gradients of Willunga Hill, that put an end to their adventure at the front with 15 kilometers to go.
The peloton facing another climb. Sirotti photo
The final three kilometers of the 145.7km stage brought many attacks, including one of the race leader, but it eventually came down to a small group sprint in the last 100 meters, from where Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates) claimed the victory, moving to the top of the standings. Once again, Junior Lecerf was the first Soudal Quick-Step rider to cross the line, braving the demanding gradients and sweltering temperatures on his way to cracking the top 20 on the general classification before the final stage.
And here's the Tour Down Under report from Team Groupama-FDJ:
The queen stage of the Tour Down Under has delivered its verdict. On Saturday, on the slopes of Willunga Hill, the GC favourites fought their final battle, and Rémy Rochas was unable to join it until the very end. Forced into an intense chase as the final climb approached, the climber from Groupama-FDJ had to let his rivals go less than two kilometres from the summit and had to settle for twelfth place at the finish. This is also his position overall with one stage left to go.
Groupama-FDJ riders after the stage. Sirotti photo
Tour Down Under obviously means… Willunga Hill. Since the climb’s introduction to the event around twenty years ago, but even more so since the organisation decided to make it a summit finish in 2012, the South-Australian hill has built up its reputation. That of being the decisive stage for the first WorldTour race of the year. The 2025 edition was no exception on Saturday, with a double ascent of this iconic climb in the last twenty-five kilometres.
Before the final battle, a typical scenario set up with a four-man breakaway. “We expected a lot of movement at the start, that’s what happened, and we wanted to avoid a big group going without us,” said Jussi Veikkanen. “Lewis played it very well and slipped into a group of around ten riders. They were caught, then a group of six left with Pablo Torres and Juan Pedro Lopez, but they eventually both waited for the peloton.” Four men then led the way all day, with a maximum gap of four and a half minutes, but their attempt was neutralized before the first time up Willunga Hill (3.3 km at 7.4%).
“The instruction was to position Rémy at the foot of the first climb with Matt, Eddy and Lewis, which was perfectly executed”, added Jussi. “The second instruction was for Rémy to stay with Narvaez as long as possible in the final”. “The plan was simply to protect me throughout the day, and as far as I was concerned, to do a strong final climb to try to win the stage and do the best possible GC”, said Rémy.
The plan was executed without a hitch until the top of the first ascent of Willunga Hill, while a Mauro Schmid-Chris Harper duo tried to anticipate. On the other hand, the transition part to the final climb proved trickier for the Groupama-FDJ men. “We agreed to make Clément pull, which could allow us to position the rest of our riders in the first part of the peloton,” said Jussi. “Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding. Clément did his job to perfection, but the others didn’t follow him, and in the final straight approaching Willunga, the peloton split apart. It’s frustrating because we had done a very good week up until then and we had done a perfect race today up until that moment. This lack of communication is such a pity.”
A first peloton of around twenty men broke away from the rest of the field, and Rémy Rochas was forced to make a huge effort to catch up with the leaders. “We misunderstood each other on the radio with the guys who were still there, and more importantly, the wind changed direction,” explained Rémy. “With Sven, we were refueling and wondering how to position before the climb. We were starting to come back up, but it was a little too late. Ineos really made a big push and created some echelons with the sidewind, which really surprised us and put us in trouble. Sven, Quentin and Clément tried their best to close the gaps and I made a big effort at the bottom of the climb which allowed me to come back right away. Yet, after one kilometre, due to the successive attacks, I had to drop back and take my own pace for the rest of the climb.”
Among the very last ones to make it across to the first “peloton”, the French climber barely had time to get back into position when Javier Romo, the race leader, launched an offensive. “The race was on and Rémy needed to catch his breath,” explained Jussi. “He did the best he could, but he certainly wasted a real bullet with the chase. It’s frustrating and a shame because he surely had the legs for a big result.”
Unable to compete against the favourites in the last two kilometres, Rémy Rochas still fought to secure twelfth place at the top, which puts him in twelfth overall this Saturday. “Finishing twelfth is obviously disappointing, because I think I had the legs to compete for the podium or the top 5,” he claimed. “We will learn from all this, personally and as a team, and make sure that it does not happen again.” “They understood straight away that they had made a mistake and we will have to learn from it in the next races,” concluded Jussi. On Sunday, the overall ranking should not change much, but Matt Walls will have the opportunity to compete in another sprint in Adelaide.
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