Sam Welsford, who celebrated his 28th birthday today, was again unbeatable on stage 4. Although the Australian lost the rear wheel of lead out man Danny van Poppel in the hectic finish, he was able to break through a gap and take his third stage win at the Tour Down Under by a bike length. After today, Sam continues to lead the points classification and will line up in the blue jersey tomorrow.
Results
01 S. Welsford 2:59:50
02 B. Girmay +0:00
03 L. Boven +0:00
From the Finish Line
“I’m speechless. The way we’ve been riding all week, we had a bit of pressure today, as expected, but we rode very well. It was such a fast approach and I don’t know exactly how it all happened, but I had good momentum coming out of the corner. I wasn’t right on Danny’s back wheel, but he knew it up to that point and I just used the guys between us as my leadout. This win is just amazing, it’s the perfect start to the year for us. It’s also really special for me to come into a new team and get that support straight away. In the end, this win is a reward for the hard work the guys have put in all week.” – Sam Welsford
