The opening day of the 2026 Women’s Tour Down Under did exactly what this new-look route promised. Without Willunga Hill as the centrepiece, stage 1 became a long, lumpy test of patience and positioning, and it delivered a finish where the strongest sprint teams had to work hard to prevent another solo surprise.
After 137.4km starting and finishing in Willunga, Ally Wollaston won the stage for FDJ United-Suez and pulled on the first ochre leader’s jersey of the new Women’s WorldTour season, timing her sprint perfectly on a drag that was harder than it looked on paper.
“I think out of three stages this is probably my best chance,” Wollaston said before the start. “The finish is actually a little bit harder than I remember. It should be a really tough sprint.”
A long day in the vineyards, then Vigilia rolls the dice
For much of the morning, the peloton rode like a group that understood the stakes. The roads were wide, the wind was calm, and with so many teams expecting a sprint, there was little appetite to burn matches early. The first intermediate sprint went to Olivia Baril of Movistar, an early sign that time bonuses could matter across such a short race.
The race only properly broke open when Alessia Vigilia attacked for Uno-X Mobility inside the final 100km and quickly built a gap. With FDJ United-Suez setting the tempo rather than chasing full gas, and Uno-X riders sitting in behind to disrupt any organised pursuit, the Italian’s advantage stretched beyond three minutes.
Vigilia used the moment intelligently. She claimed both classified climbs at Lower Willunga Hill, putting herself in control of the QOM competition and giving her move a clear purpose beyond hope alone. By the time she crested the second QOM and began the final circuits, the shape of the stage was set: one rider ahead, and a growing sense of urgency behind.
Photo Credit: GettyFDJ United-Suez commit early to protect Wollaston’s sprint
With the memory of last year’s stage 1 solo winner still fresh, FDJ United-Suez began to tighten the screw well before the final 20km. Amber Kraak in particular took on a huge workload at the front, steadily reducing the gap without turning the stage into a chaotic drag race too soon.
Wollaston later made it clear just how much she leaned on that work as the finale approached.
“It means the world,” she said after the finish. “To be honest, I didn’t feel great during the race. I was really anxious. I felt a lot of pressure, and I really struggled in the peloton. But I was just so lucky to have these girls in the final. They led me to the perfect place, and all I had to do was finish it off. It’s really a team effort today.”
Vigilia refused to fold, taking the second intermediate sprint and its three-second time bonus, and still holding more than a minute at 20km to go. But the pace behind finally began to bite, with more sprint teams adding riders and the gap dropping rapidly inside the final 15km.
Photo Credit: GettyCrashes, a late catch, and Wollaston finishes it off uphill
The final kilometres were tense, with positioning battles and at least one significant crash inside 2km to go that brought down riders from Liv AlUla Jayco. The peloton could see Vigilia ahead on the long finishing road, and even at one kilometre to go she still had a small gap.
The catch came late, and for a moment it was unclear whether the sprint would organise cleanly. It did, and when Wollaston launched, she went early enough to avoid being boxed but late enough to keep power for the rising finish.
Behind her, Josie Nelson took second for Picnic PostNL and Femke Gerritse finished third for SD Worx-Protime.
Wollaston, now the first leader of the race, suggested FDJ will take the responsibility seriously over the next two days.
“I think it’d be silly not to,” she said of defending the jersey. “If you’re wearing a WorldTour leader’s jersey, you have to do it justice. I think we go all in tomorrow to try and keep the jersey.”
Vigilia, meanwhile, left the stage with the QOM jersey and the most combative prize after a ride that forced the peloton to work from a long way out.
“It’s a really nice way to start the season, to be in the breakaway, to feel well,” she said. “I was hoping the race was a bit shorter so I could make it, but I really want to do well with my new team. Hopefully one day I will make it to the finish.”
Women’s Tour Down Under 2026 stage 1 Women result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
