Tour Down Beneath prologue LIVE: Time trial specialists purpose for first chief’s jersey

Some preliminary quotes from the winner, when requested who made him probably the most nervous about his very lengthy spell within the sizzling seat watching rider after rider come dwelling.
“There have been various guys, simply as I climbed off the bike Ethan Vernon completed and he was 0.5 seconds behind me, he was a contender. I used to be possibly not going to make it to the recent seat.”
Seeing Vine end behind him “was a giant sigh of aid for myself, I am so pleased to begin the season with a win.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll go 100% for him [Sam Welsford], he is received right here six instances within the final two years, so full for him.”

Speaking of Finn Fisher-Black, we have now a giant interview with him courtesy of colleague James Moultrie proper right here:
‘They’re simply regular guys’ – Finn Fisher-Black provides distinctive perception into biking superstars Evenepoel and Pogačar and the impact they will have on a complete workforce

One other big-name contender, Adam Yates (UAE Crew Emirates-XRG), driving his first ever TDU, finishes 18 seconds again on compatriot Watson.

And Ben O’Connor (Jayco-AlUla), huge native star and probably a GC favorite, rides dwelling 13 seconds down on Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers).

Time for one more photograph: here is Finn Fisher-Black, presently fourth on provisional instances right now, out on the course.

Price noting that Ivo Oliveira (UAE Crew Emirates-XRG) the rider that ran him the closest in Romandie, dropping by simply O.28 seconds, can also be racing within the TDU. And he is but to begin…

If – and it is nonetheless a giant if, given so many riders are but to come back – Sam Watson will get the win, then it will not be his first prologue victory within the World Tour. Considered one of Watson’s 5 wins to this point was the Tour de Romandie prologue final yr, over a really related distance of three.44 kilometres.

But extra studying materials do you have to want it: colleague Matilda Worth has written the Cyclingnews’ breakdown of who the large GC contenders will probably be on this yr’s Santos Tour Down Beneath. Here is the hyperlink:
Dwelling riders amongst favourites in open GC discipline – Analysing the Tour Down Beneath contenders

And let’s not overlook, racing has already been occurring already, not simply the Nationals. The Ladies’s Tour Down Beneath completed lower than 48 hours in the past. You’ll be able to learn our full report right here:
Ladies’s Tour Down Beneath: Noemi Rüegg outsprints UAE Crew ADQ rivals to win stage 3 and declare general for second yr in a row

And here is a picture of Sam Watson throughout his journey to the provisional prime spot general: will or not it’s sufficient to take the primary lead of the race?

Vine has not too long ago claimed the Australian Nationwide TT title for a second time in his profession, and even when the course is – as he stated earlier right now – one for the monitor specialists than pure highway time triallers, curiosity will probably be very excessive in what he can obtain. You’ll be able to examine his victory in Perth, on the opposite facet of Australia, right here:

Jay Vine reclaims elite males’s time trial title on the Australian Street Nationwide Championships

Riders are off at minute intervals all the best way to final starter Jay Vine (UAE Crew Emirates-XRG) at 20:19 native time.

Again to the current, there are two checkpoints within the course, at km 1 and km2, previous to the end at km 3.6.

Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AlUla) finishes. A protracted, very long time in the past in a rustic far, far-off, ‘Turbo Durbo’ received a really related quick opening prologue within the Critérium du Dauphiné, beating no much less a time trial star than Bradley Wiggins. For these seeking to mud down the historical past books, here is our report:
Durbridge wins Criterium du Dauphine prologue in Grenoble

And that in flip is superceded by Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers) with a quickest time of 4:16.9. Simply a few seconds quicker, but it surely places the Briton into the recent seat.

That was a very good begin to the yr for Leonard in his first ever race with new workforce EF, however he is already been overhauled by New Zealand’s Laurence Pithie (Crimson Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) with a time of 4:19, almost 5 seconds quicker.

And as if by magic, they seem. Quickest time presently for Michael Leonard of 4:24. He is acquired a hefty (by 3.2 kilometre prologue requirements) benefit of two.3 kilometres on Marco Brenner (Tudor).

No clear indication but of instances, however we’ll carry them as quickly as we have one thing vaguely official.

Extra background from Simone Giuliani on the bottom concerning the ambiance on the market in Adelaide:
“Crowds are beginning to pack the roadside across the begin space with riders sheltering from the solar beneath marquees earlier than they line up, carrying ice vests given it’s nonetheless heat regardless of the late begin. Although with it being only a hop skip and bounce from the village and their accomodation they don’t have to fret about setting out too far prematurely.”

Gogl powers dwelling, the primary rider throughout the road. However a time trialing specialist like Canadian TT champion Michael Leonard (EF Training-EasyPost) is on the market on the course, and he is more likely to set an excellent time, too.

And Gogl is off, the Tour Down Beneath is formally underway.

Critically, it is principally flat.

As for the course, here is what the riders can anticipate: some technical bits, mainly and a few bits to get a very good flip of velocity on:
“The prologue begins close to the Tour village with a straight stretch down Wakefield Road earlier than a proper flip into East terrace after 1.1km after which one other left, proper after which left hand flip in fast succession earlier than a pointy left and two hairpin turns earlier than riders can full the run by way of to the end line at Victoria Park.”

In case you’re questioning, the final time there was a prologue within the Tour Down Beneath was again in 2023, additionally in Adelaide. That was virtually twice the size although, 5.5 kilometres, with the win going to Italy’s Alberto Bettiol. You’ll be able to learn the CN report about that right here.
Alberto Bettiol wins a moist prologue on the Tour Down Beneath

First rider down the beginning ramp in Adelaide will probably be Austria’s Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

“The winds ought to ease by way of the night with the present gust velocity of 26 knots anticipated to drop to round 18 knots by the point Jay Vine, the final rider out, is heading to the road.”

Present climate situations are, in keeping with CN’s reporter on the bottom Simone Giuliani, as follows: “It could be stretching into the night in Adelaide however the solar nonetheless has a sting in it and the temperature is sitting round 30 levels Celsius. At present there are additionally gusty bursts of wind blowing throughout the course.”

That stated, that is the primary day of racing within the 2026 elite males’s WorldTour, so anticipation is excessive as the boys’s season will get underway.

The course is simply 3.6 kilometres lengthy, that means that is very a lot a brief, quick effort which can produce a primary chief, however long run it’s going to probably have little impact on GC.

Whats up and welcome to the reside protection of the prologue of the Santos Tour Down Beneath in Adelaide