Sam Welsford secured his second consecutive stage victory at the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under, taking the win in a fiercely contested sprint finish in Tanunda. The Australianโs triumph was hard-earned, overcoming an early crash and a tough day on the climbs to edge out Arne Marit and Bryan Coquard on the line. It’s Welsford’s 2nd win in this year’s race after also taking yesterday’s opening stage.
The 128.8km stage began under clear skies in Tanunda, with a breakaway forming early on. Fergus Browning, Patrick Konrad, and Georg Zimmermann quickly built a lead of over two minutes as they tackled the first of three ascents of Menglers Hill. Browning, keen to cement his hold on the mountains classification, claimed maximum points on the climb, while the chasing peloton maintained a steady pace.
The breakaway trio worked well together, collecting intermediate sprint bonuses along the way, but their advantage began to dwindle as the sprintersโ teams increased the tempo. By the final ascent of Menglers Hill, the break was caught, and the race lit up. Connor Swift and Juan Pedro Lรณpez launched attacks in quick succession, but neither could hold their advantage as the peloton powered over the climb.
With 15 kilometres to go, the bunch was back together, setting the stage for a high-speed run into Tanunda. Welsford, who had crashed within the first five kilometres, fought back to rejoin the peloton with help from his teammates. As the race approached the final kilometre, sprintersโ teams jostled for position, with Welsford staying on Danny van Poppelโs wheel to set up his sprint.
Launching with less than 200 metres to go, Welsford surged ahead, narrowly holding off Marit and Coquard to claim victory. Reflecting on his day, Welsford said, โBloody hell, it was bike off in the first 5k to the race, and that was less than ideal. It was a pretty hard day out there.โ
Van Poppel would later be relegated to last place in the main group, a 500CHF fine, 7 points deducted in the points classification, 3 points in the KoM standings and a yellow card for ‘deviation from the chosen line that obstructs and endangers another rider’.
British rider Brennan retains young ridersโ jersey
Matthew Brennan continued to impress in his debut WorldTour race, finishing safely in the bunch to retain the white jersey for the best young rider. The 19-year-old showed resilience on the climbs and remains third overall, just 14 seconds behind Welsford.
โIt was a hectic final,โ Brennan said. โOn the final climb, we did a great job as a team, but unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it in the finale. There are still a few stages where there are opportunities, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s stage. It’s a tough stage, and Iโm curious to see how far I can get there.โ
His sports director, Addy Engels, praised the effort, saying, โWe did very well as a team on the final climb. Unfortunately, we didnโt manage to drop the pure sprinters, and in the end, it became a bunch sprint with all the top sprinters together. Brennan was still in a good position for a long time, but in the end, couldnโt sprint for the win.โ
Marit and Coquard fight back
Arne Marit and Bryan Coquard both recovered from difficult moments earlier in the stage to finish second and third, respectively. Marit, who had been dropped on Menglers Hill, rejoined the peloton with 10 kilometres to go. โI came back, but I gambled so much,โ Marit admitted. โIn the end, I found my teammates. I was actually not quite sure about my legs, but as a sprinter, you can always do something more when you see the line.โ
Welsford retained the ochre leaderโs jersey and extended his lead in the points classification. However, the Australian acknowledged that tomorrowโs queen stage would likely be decisive for the general classification. The 147.5km route from Norwood to Uraidla features two ascents of Knottโs Hill, including a punishing 13.4% gradient in the closing kilometres.
โI think we’ll be maybe helping other people tomorrow. Stage 3 is the hardest stage of the Tour,โ Welsford said, suggesting that his time in the leaderโs jersey may be coming to an end. Meanwhile, Fergus Browning holds a commanding lead in the mountains classification, and Brennan will aim to defend his young ridersโ jersey as the climbing stages begin.
2024 Men’s Tour Down Under Stage 2 result
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Main photo credit: Getty