"I lost some confidence over the last two years and I was finally racing like I was 18 again" - Daniek Hengeveld solos to stunning stage success at the Tour Down Under

Most expected a bunch finish for the finale on stage 1 of the 2025 Tour Down Under. That was not the case though, as Daniek Hengeveld sensationally held off the peloton solo to take a very impressive stage victory.

“I was not even thinking [when I attacked]. This is a new team, we wanted to be aggressive, I was struggling on the climb but everyone was struggling so that was my motivation to go and see how far I could make it,” Hengeveld commented after her victory. “In the last one kilometre I thought I would make it, I didn’t look back at all until kilometre two or three. I heard my sports director in my ear telling me to come on and I thought f*ck, maybe they are getting close but they weren’t. It’s really nice, I appreciated that they were still cheering me on and that gave me extra watts.”

Still only 22 years old, Hengeveld has struggled with injuries over the last couple of years. Today though, she was firmly back to her best and back racing with a smile on her face. “It was a long way and I was alone. This is my first race back after my crash last year with a new team, I lost some confidence over the last two years and I was finally racing like I was 18 again," she says with a smile. "I felt like I remembered why I raced, and that was really nice.”