Milan Vader eyes results in Australia: "I didn't take too long a vacation because the Tour Down Under requires special preparation"

Milan Vader is Team Visma | Lease a Bike's weapon for the upcoming Tour Down Under. After a brilliant breakthrough season finale where he won the Tour of Guangxi late in 2023, the Dutchman now leads the team once again on the season opener.

"When I came back from Guangxi, I didn't take too long a vacation because the Tour Down Under requires special preparation," Vader told In de Leiderstrui ahead of the Australian race. "And with all the tests - which are common in the fall - in between, some training time was taken away anyway. I actually went straight to Spain to train intensively for a few weeks. During this period, I could also get used to the heat because it can get very hot in Australia."

Whilst most of the team's leaders are in Europe preparing for the upcoming season, a few team riders and Vader begin with a different schedule. Vader has not had rested for too long in the winter, taking on the Australian event with a lot of focus. "Together with the coaches and the team, we looked at the right tactics to make it a successful and instructive week. This course is very different from the course in China. There are more climbing meters in it, and there will also be harder racing," he continues. 

"A couple of stages could suit me well. In the second stage, there is a steep climb a few kilometers from the finish; there might be opportunities there," Vader believes. "Stage five ends on Willunga Hill, a finish that definitely suits me. Also, on the last day, there are good opportunities, I think. Still, it will also take some time to see how everyone has come out of the winter period."