"It's a race that I've wanted to do for a while" - Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig to ride Tour Down Under for the first time
Cycling
Quite surprisingly, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig had never been to the traditional season opener, the Tour Down Under. Talking to GCN, the 28-year-old Dane lady explains a bit why that is the case, as well as her own goals for the three-day stage race.
"Why not?" she responds on why she had chosen to make her debut now of all times. "Initially my boyfriend, he's Australian, so it's just super nice to be here and get two times summer and get some racing early."
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"It's a race that I've wanted to do for quite a while, but just never really had the opportunity to go here yet," Uttrup Ludwig explained. "But now, it was time, and I'm excited to be doing it. And I think I've heard the Australian crowds are really awesome."
"I'll be helping Grace as much as I can," she confirmed her goals for the race. "We are sending a strong team. Of course, we want to defend the title - when you're coming in as a defending champion, you want to do well. Hopefully you can see some fireworks."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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