"The team rode exceptionally all day" - Tour Down Under stage 2 'bittersweet' for Israel - Premier Tech

Israel - Premier Tech came to the fore on stage 2 of the Tour Down Under, taking two spots on the podium through Stephen Williams and Corbin Strong. Ultimately though, victory couldn't be secured.

“It was really gutting to miss the win,” said Strong post-stage to his team's official website, as Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates took a shock victory. “The team rode exceptionally all day and with Stevie and I going second and third, it is definitely bittersweet. We had our eyes set on this one and to get second and third, it’s still a good day for the team but we really wanted to take the win home today."

"Kudos to Del Toro who won today, it was a nice move at the finish," Strong continued. “We are two days into the season and both days the team has been exceptional. Everyone is buying into the team goal and all of the goals have great legs.”

“The stage suited Corbin really well. We didn’t know how fast some of the guys like Luke Plapp would go up that final climb but fortunately for us, there was a headwind. We kind of got away with not working too much during the stage so we had a full contingent of guys to position them in the finish," added sports director Sem Bewley. "We knew it was a good stage for Corbin if he could get over that climb and he obviously thought he could. It would have been nice to get the win but we’ll take second and third on the stage for sure.”

🗣️ "Stevie and I going second and third is definitely bittersweet - it’s still a good day for the team but we really wanted to take the win home."
@corbin_strong reflects on the dramatic finish to today's @tourdownunder stage in Lobethal.#TourDownUnder 🇦🇺 #YallaIPT

— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) January 17, 2024