Tour Down Under 2026 (Men's, Jan. 20-25)

[Tricycle Rider]

Just tuned in and there's a break of three riders, and being it's hot one of the riders picked up some ice from his team car and shared it with the another rider in the break. I thought that was nice.

75km to go and I'm hoping the break will make it...

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Sprint teams should have let the break get more time just make UAE work.

Do you think this will end up being a bunch sprint, or will the peloton let the break go? Cause I'm not sure what they're doing with 55km to go...

 

[Potomac]

bunch sprint

 

[Tricycle Rider]

bunch sprint

I'm still pulling for the break, but whichever way things turn out isn't this stage so much nicer compared to yesterday's UAE domination?

Today I'm cheering for anyone but UAE, they'll have their day in the sun again tomorrow!

 

[Cookster15]

Quite funny to see some kangaroos in the race coverage. Quite common to see them in sports events in Oz which are conducted in countryside areas.

Same thing happens at the Bathurst (Mt Panorama) touring car races. Kangaroos outnumber humans in Australia by roughly 2 to 1. Just hope I never see those collide with a fast moving peloton. Would be carnage.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Commentator said it's 32C, and you can see bottles and icebags flying everywhere. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 42C ( ), will be interesting to see who does well in extreme heat! (I realize they're professionals, but there comes a time when performing in extreme heat just becomes stupid and unsafe.)

 

[Cookster15]

Commentator said it's 32C, and you can see bottles and icebags flying everywhere. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 42C ( ), will be interesting to see who does well in extreme heat! (I realize they're professionals, but there comes a time when performing in extreme heat just becomes stupid and unsafe.)

Hard for riders coming from the European winter to acclimatize to these kind of temperatures. Lucky these conditions are occurring at the end of the week and not stage 1. Even in Tenerife this week its below 20C.

 

[VeloMaster]

Not sure I can take another few days of Phil L losing the thread, repeating cliches, confusing riders' names, etc. Sigh.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Break stubbornly keeping the gap up - I'll be crying into my pillow if they don't make it.

28km to go

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I was hoping Urianstad could hang on but he got dropped from the break. So now there's only two French guys up front with 16km to go...

 

[Cookster15]

Paleni solo. I doubt he can hang on. 45 sec and 12km to go.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Paleni solo. I doubt he can hang on. 45 sec and 12km to go.

45 seconds 6.8km to go

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Paleni solo. I doubt he can hang on. 45 sec and 12km to go.

Veistroffer rejoined him, damn these guys are keeping me in suspense till the very end!

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Ah!!! Bummer!!

 

[Cookster15]

I think Paleni has got this. Veistroffer got back then dropped again. Paleni too strong.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Veirstroffer dropped again, and this time the peloton will catch up.

Ah well, huge props to the break for keeping this stage fun and suspenseful!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Ah!!! Bummer!!

I'm crying into my pillow!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

YES, wombat!

I didn't think he had any more chances in this race, but here we are.

 

[Cookster15]

Welsford takes the win. Paleni and Veirstroffer really made the sprinters teams work hard for that - kudos. Tough course too in very warm conditions.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

At least Paleni got the well-earned combat award and he's giving a terrific interview just now. I've become a fan!

Also, there was a crash they didn't show earlier and Vine was one of the riders to go down. (Said the commentator.) Not much more news about that right now.

EDIT: because the crash happened within the last km everyone will get the same time.