"I expect it will be a pretty stressful day" - Stephen Williams into narrow overall lead at the Tour Down Under with one stage to go

With just one stage left to race at the 2024 Tour Down Under, Israel - Premier Tech's Stephen Williams has moved into the overall lead of the race.

“It was a tough final, as expected. We knew it would just be whittled down until the line and I found myself with good legs with 500 meters to go, in a perfect position," recapped the Welshman post-stage, having finished second on the iconic Willunga Hill climb behind Oscar Onley. "I slightly underestimated how far the finish line was from the last corner. Ideally I would have gone into that last corner first and could have held on but credit to Oscar Onley."

The last stage is not just one, relatively flat, sprinters stage, where victory might look assured. With the GC standings incredibly tight however, Onley on the same time and a handful of riders within 10 seconds, Williams is not expecting the kind of processional final day you see in the Grand Tours.

“I knew it was going to be close. Obviously we are on the same time, so I have the lead on count back," Williams explains. "That sprint finish on stage 2 has come in handy with those four bonus seconds I picked up. I’m really pleased to be in this jersey and give it back to the boys who have done such a good job today."

"Tomorrow will be a tough stage and hard to control as it is still very close there on the General Classification with the top five or six guys within a handful of seconds," he concludes. "I expect it will be a pretty stressful day but the guys I have here are so experienced so I have no doubt we will do our best to fight for it.”

🧡: Santos Leaders: Stephen Williams | @IsraelPremTech
#TourDownUnder #CouchPeloton@SantosLtd @DFIT_SA @SANTINI_SMS @InterfloraAU pic.twitter.com/ZirVhxG5Mx

— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴‍♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 20, 2024