Phil Bauhaus achieved its first German success right at the start of the cycling season. The 28-year-old won the sprint of the first stage of the Tour Down Under on Wednesday ahead of the two Australians Caleb Ewan and Michael Matthews.
In the final in Tanunda, which was affected by a fall, Bauhaus went into the wind early on and, after evaluating the finish photo, was ultimately able to celebrate its 20th professional victory. In the overall standings, prologue winner Alberto Bettiol from Italy is now six seconds ahead of Matthews.
“I fell badly, but was able to recover well. We were always ahead in the last lap, the team did a good job,” said Bauhaus. “I only knew about my victory when the sporting director told me about it over the radio. I’m not the type to want to celebrate too soon.”
The second stage will again offer the sprinters a chance. It is 154.8 kilometers from Brighton to Victor Harbour. After five stages, the tour ends on Sunday on Mount Lofty east of Adelaide.
Due to the corona pandemic, the race had not been held as part of the WorldTour for the past two years. Defending champion Richie Porte has now ended his career.
