The opening stage of the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under delivered all the drama expected from the start of the cycling calendar. A determined early breakaway by ARA Australian Cycling Team duo Fergus Browning and Zac Marriage set the tone for a hotly contested day of racing.
Browning and Marriage launched their attack from kilometre zero in Prospect, staying off the front for an astonishing 126km. Initially joined by France’s Bastien Tronchon, the duo pressed on alone after Tronchon dropped back with 108km still remaining. Their efforts were rewarded with joint recognition as the most competitive riders of the day, while Browning also claimed the efex King of the Mountain jersey.
“It was a hard day and a big day out in front, and we really need to take every opportunity we can,” Marriage said after the stage. “There’s no better way to start than from kilometre zero. It was rewarding… it’s my home race and I train here every day.”
Browning echoed the sentiment, expressing his delight at taking the mountain classification jersey on home soil. “To start it off like this is awesome, and to be on semi-home roads in front of a lot of people that I know is so special,” he said. “For sure, we’ll look at trying to carry it through the tour. We’re obviously trying to look for every opportunity.”
Both riders have ambitions beyond the Tour Down Under. Marriage, the reigning Australian U23 time trial champion, highlighted the importance of the week ahead: “We are both looking for European contracts, and there is no better way than to put your name out there in front of the best DS’ and the biggest teams in the world.”
Browning, who has previously competed with the now-defunct Trinity road team, added: “I just need the opportunity and need someone to take the gamble of signing me for the year.”
Sprint drama at the finish
The stage concluded with a fast, downhill bunch sprint into Gumeracha, where Sam Welsford powered to victory. The Australian added another win to his growing list of WorldTour stage victories, but it wasn’t without a moment of doubt.
“I went to stop and salute, but I [had gone] pretty long, so I didn’t have much legs left,” Welsford admitted. “I thought my front wheel was over the line, but then [Matthew Brennan] came zooming past me, and I thought, ‘maybe I mucked that up,’ but I was happy to get it.”
Matthew Brennan, making his WorldTour debut, came agonisingly close to toppling Welsford in the final metres. The 19-year-old’s second-place finish earned him the Zwift Young Rider jersey, a small consolation for missing out on victory.
“It’s a really nice result, but it would be nice to win,” Brennan said. “This second place gives me a lot of confidence. I think we’ve started this Tour Down Under on the right foot as a team.”
Groupama-FDJ’s Matthew Walls rounded out the podium in third, while Tim-Torn Teutenberg overcame a chaotic finish to place fourth. “I nearly crashed with 3k to go… Luckily, I had two teammates who brought me back to the front,” Teutenberg told Cyclingnews.
The day wasn’t without incident, as a crash inside the final three kilometres claimed the hopes of Dylan van Baarle. The Dutchman, returning from a string of injuries over the past two seasons, suffered a broken collarbone but remained upbeat about the year ahead.
“We go with full motivation again to the new season,” van Baarle said earlier in the day. His misfortune adds to a challenging period since his Paris-Roubaix triumph in 2022, though his team remains hopeful he can bounce back in the Classics.
2025 Men’s Tour Down Under Stage 1 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty