Femke Gerritse sprints to third place in Stage 1 of the Tour Down Under.

And that’s the first race day of the new season done. A windy, nervous opener around Willunga (Australia) ended in a sprint, with Femke Gerritse finishing third. Ally Wollaston (FDJ–SUEZ) was the fastest on the 4–5% drag to the line, with Josie Nelson (Team Picnic PostNL) in second.

“The team spirit was good throughout this first stage and the cooperation was strong. Our plan was to sprint with Femke because we knew the finish suited a powerful rider.”

“Everyone worked very hard today. There was only one rider up the road for a long time. Julia Kopecký did a great job reducing the gap to keep a sprint possible. With 10 km to go the breakaway still had a one-minute lead. Together with Mikayla Harvey, we managed to close it before the final corners.”

“In the last kilometre, Barbara Guarischi guided Marta Lach through the final turns to help position Femke Gerritse as good as possible for the decisive sprint. Wollaston anticipated early and launched first. Femke tried to respond, but Wollaston was simply too strong today.”

“Femke is disappointed—which is understandable—but we’re looking ahead. Tomorrow is a hard stage with an early tough climb, so an early breakaway is certainly possible. The finale is on a local circuit with a short but treacherous hill. A sprint could still happen, but we’ll see how the race unfolds. We’re ready to fight again.”