A reduced bunch sprint settled the Women’s Tour Down Under One Day Race in Tanunda, but the finish only arrived after an afternoon of persistent attacking and nervous positioning on an exposed lap circuit that never really let the peloton breathe.
Maggie Coles-Lyster took the win for Human Powered Health after a remarkable recovery from a late crash. She hit the deck with two laps still to race, fought back into the front group, and still had the speed and composure to deliver the fastest finish when the race finally came down to it. Noemi Rüegg, fresh from overall victory in the three-day Women’s Tour Down Under, sprinted to second, while Marta Lach claimed third after a chaotic run-in that removed several riders from contention.
“This is insane, it’s really just sinking in,” Coles-Lyster said afterwards.
A Barossa circuit that raced like a wind-exposed criterium
The race was built around 12 laps of a 7.9 km circuit in the Barossa region, and it rode more like a long criterium than a conventional road one-day. The roads were largely flat, the corners and straights encouraged constant fighting for position, and the wind amplified every moment of hesitation.
On paper, a reduced sprint always looked plausible. In practice, the difficulty was not the terrain but the rhythm. Each surge stretched the bunch into lines, each chase created gaps, and every regrouping came with a renewed urgency to be near the front before the next move. That kind of day rarely produces a calm build to the finale. It produces attrition.
Early attacks set the tone and kept the bunch on edge
The opening laps were aggressive, with teams testing whether the race could be split before the later circuits tightened the pressure. A first move went early with Mackenzie Coupland and Loes Adegeest forcing the pace, a probing effort that did not stay away but established the mood. This was not going to be a day for waiting.
Alyssa Polites followed with a solo bid that was shut down quickly, yet it came with a cost. The chase briefly split the peloton, a small sign of what would happen repeatedly as riders fought not just the wind, but the repeated accelerations that made shelter and timing so important.
The first real split forces a response from the favourites
By lap four, a more serious selection formed, around a dozen riders gaining ground from a mix of teams. On a short circuit, that is often the most dangerous type of move: large enough to share the work, small enough to rotate efficiently, and timed early enough that the bunch behind can waste a lot of energy trying to restore control.
With key teams missing from the front, the response was immediate. Team Picnic PostNL, thinking of Josie Nelson, committed riders to the chase, and UAE Team ADQ contributed as well. The break was pulled back with plenty of racing still to come, but the effort reinforced the pattern that defined the middle phase. Attacks continued, the peloton repeatedly snapped into pieces, and any lull was quickly punished by another surge.
Vigilia rolls the dice late and drags the race into a decisive final hour
With three laps left, Alessia Vigilia tried to rewrite the ending with a long solo effort, committing at a moment when cooperation behind was not guaranteed. On this circuit, that is often the opening: a single rider can gain ground quickly if the bunch hesitates, and the repeated corners and wind shifts can make the chase feel uncertain.
Vigilia carried a meaningful advantage deep into the finale and was still ahead when the bell rang for the final lap. But the closer the race moved towards the finish, the more organised the pursuit became. She was finally caught with just over 4 km to go, the decisive point where a scattered finale turns into a full-speed fight for the last few positions that matter.
Late crashes thin the group as Coles-Lyster completes the comeback
Even after the catch, the race refused to settle into a clean lead-out. The battle for wheels intensified, and then a series of late incidents fractured the field again, reducing the group able to contest the sprint properly and removing several riders who would normally expect to feature in a finish like this.
Coles-Lyster had already been forced into damage limitation, crashing with two laps to go before riding her way back into the front group in time for the final phase. When the sprint opened, she was still in position and still fast enough to finish it off, taking the win ahead of Rüegg in second and Lach in third.
2026 Women’s Tour Down Under One Day Race result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
