Welsford Loses Tour Down Under Sprint Title

Sam Welsford ruled the Santos Tour Down Under sprints with an iron fist during the past two seasons, but that reign ended Wednesday after Tobias Lund Andresen launched a perfectly timed surge to deny the Aussie in a frantic dash into Tanunda.

Welsford, who swept six of seven sprints at the WorldTour season opener across 2024 and 2025, was surging late along the barriers in his Ineos Grenadiers season debut, but Lund Andresen had just enough to hold on for the first WorldTour win of his career.

Rising star Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) was also coming fast and crossed second on the road after the high-speed finale for the first major bunch kick of 2026 in the men’s WorldTour.

“When I crossed the finish line, I could see wheels coming up on both sides, but with a leadout like this, it really sets you up for a win,” the Dane said. “It feels amazing to win.”

“I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this way. It’s unbelievable,” Lund Andresen said. “The bike is incredibly fast, and my teammates did an exceptional job today. I truly enjoyed this finish.”

The eye-watering finish provided the first glimpse of the ever-changing hierarchy among the peloton’s elite sprinters.

Lund Andresen fends off Brennan for first WorldTour win

Success at the Tour Down Under doesn’t always translate to more wins in Europe, but the victory confirmed Lund Andresen’s integration into his new colors with Decathlon CMA CGM and validated the French team’s big bet on sprinting.

After six wins in 2024 and one in 2025, the 23-year-old Dane won his first-ever WorldTour race to open his 2026 campaign.

“There were crosswinds the last 5km, so we wanted to be in a good position, and I think we did really well to stay together,” he said. “I just had to commit and trust my teammates, and it ended up like this.”

Luke Lamperti kicked to 10th in his first sprint since joining EF Education-EasyPost, and overnight leader and prologue winner Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers) dropped to second at 1 second back as Lund Andresen takes the lead on time bonuses.

The stage across Adelaide’s wine country wasn’t without incident.

Bahrain Victorious rider Max Van Der Meulen crashed out with about 40km to go when the 22-year-old Dutchman crashed heavily into a roadside barrier. Van Der Meulen was transported by hospital to a local hospital.

“Medical examinations confirmed fractures to his right collarbone, shoulder blade, and ribs. Fortunately, surgery is not required,” a team note read. “Marius will return to Europe in the coming days, where he will begin his rehabilitation program, starting with physiotherapy.”

Tudor Pro Cycling also lost a rider with Germany’s Marius Mayrhofer, 23, forced to abandon.

Stage 2 to Uraidla features the Corkscrew climb that should trigger another GC shakeup.