Copy-paste of Van Poppel-Welsford Down Under, but Dutch rider was relegated and got yellow card

Sam Welsford won the second stage of the Tour Down Under, his second win in two days. After a 128-kilometer stage in and around Tanunda, the Australian was again perfectly dropped by lead-out Danny van Poppel and accomplished the task ahead of Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) and Bryan Coquard of Cofidis. However, Van Poppel was relegated after the race.

Day two started again with a big crash. This included leader Welsford but also men like Pascal Eenkhoorn (Soudal Quick-Step), Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Emirates XRG), Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek), and Kelland O'Brien (Jayco AlUla) saw the asphalt up close. However, everyone managed to get back on and would eventually cross the finish line. Welsford, by the way, did so with ripped pants.

Meanwhile, the leading group of the day had come together, consisting of Fergus Browning (Australian selection), Patrick Konrad (Lidl-Trek), and Georg Zimmerman of Intermarché-Wanty. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Visma | Lease a Bike kept that threesome in the front under control towards the foot of Menglers Hill, the day's main obstacle that had to be climbed three times.

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Favorites show themselves for first time

The race was on at the foot of the final passage, about 25 kilometers from the finish. Favorites such as Narvaéz, Marc Soler (UAE-Emirates XRG), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana), Tijmen Graat (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Michal Kwiatkowski (INEOS) accelerated and thus drove off Welsford and co. for a while, but in the end, no fundamental gaps appeared.

In the downhill, most of the fast men could rejoin in the peloton and thus prepare for the second sprint day in a row, despite counter attempts by Menno Huising (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ide Schelling (XDS Astana) and top talent Albert Withen Philipsen of Lidl-Trek, among others. Indeed, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe took the reins firmly towards the final straightaway in Tanunda.

Van Poppel once again ensured that Welsford could start his sprint in perfect position and made it easier for the ochre jersey wearer than on Tuesday. After his lead-out task, the Dutch rider deviated from his line, slowing down Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious). For this, Van Poppel, who finished eighth, was penalized with a relegation and yellow card.

On the left, some guys could still participate in the spring, giving Marit and Coquard second and third place. Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) didn't get a chance and finished just outside the top twenty.

More soon!

Results stage 2 Tour Down Under 2025

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Want to know when and where the most exciting races of 2025 will take place? Check out our updated 2025 cycling calendars for the men's and women's peloton!

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