"I hesitated to go on Sam’s wheel" - Positioning decision costs Phil Bauhaus victory in Tanunda

Phil Bauhaus presented himself with great form to the Tour Down Under, having shown good legs at the Down Under Classic and now finishing second on the opening day of the World Tour race.

“Jack is our GC guy, I really appreciate that someone like him was doing the lead-out for me. Also Fran [Miholjevic] and Cameron [Scott] did really well. In the last km I was on my own," the German said following stage 1. Bauhaus together with Caleb Ewan and Sam Welsford, was one of the main favourites to fight for victory.

Hence when BORA - hansgrohe took control of the peloton in the final kilometer and Ewan was in the eventual stage winner's wheel, Bauhaus decided to jump to Ewan's wheel, believing he'd have more speed in the run-up to the line. "Maybe I hesitated to go on Sam’s wheel, thinking Caleb was also good," he tells.

The German powerhouse came home second on the line. A good result, but not being able to pull off what would be one of the biggest results of his career. "I came close, which gave me a lot of confidence in the next sprint. I want to pay my teammates back with hopefully one win this week.”

“It was a really tricky day. [Torstein] Træen hit the deck, and still he got back in the bunch, dedicated himself with this possibly a broken arm," team DS Neil Stephens added. "Another crash happened on the descent with Buratti, who is one of our key riders in the lead-out train. But the other guys did really well, especially Jack Haig. Of course, he was here for GC but is also an integral part of the team. He did really well today and a really good lead-out as well. We will see how things go with Torstein in the hospital.”