This year, the Santos Women’s and Men’s Tour Down Under delivered nine days of charged racing – plus a bonus 1.Pro one-day event for the women – with fierce competition for podium places and a depth of field that seems to keep growing in every edition.
All 14 Women’s WorldTeams were on the start line for the first time in the Women’s Tour Down Under, along with the 18 men’s WorldTour teams and Tudor Pro Cycling for the men’s event, and an Australian national squad in each race.
From January 17 to 25, there were crushing victories, scorching sprints, race-changing heat, and cruel crashes, including one caused by the chaos of two kangaroos hopping through the peloton. After all that, Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) emerged as the victors.
It was a second title for both, with Rüegg making it two in a row as she kept her cool even when faced with a formidable trio of UAE Team ADQ riders as she headed toward the line completely outnumbered, but not outclassed, in the decisive final stage.
No easy wins
Hearing race winners Vine and Rüegg discuss what they had to do to secure victory in the final post-podium interviews really brought home how much the Tour Down Under has grown from a training race to a top-level competition. Vine’s victory came through careful planning and training to ensure he was on track to hit the numbers he wanted. He used that form to make his mark with his attack on the Corkscrew on stage 2.
Then Rüegg described how she had struggled on the first time up the pivotal Corkscrew climb on the women’s final stage, but then found the strength to fight off a trio of UAE Team ADQ riders, despite being isolated, to claim the victory.
These two riders put everything into their preparations and left everything on the road in pursuit of a coveted prize. Riders are coming to the Tour Down Under fully trained and focused at a time of year when, in past years, they would be well off their best. The race has…
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