"These are not the days where we can win or make a difference" - Team Visma | Lease a Bike continue to play the waiting game at Tour Down Under

For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the first two stages of the 2024 Tour Down Under have been all about staying out of trouble.

Milan Vader leads the overall hopes of the team in Australia but for him, bigger tests are still to come. "Milan felt good and went up with the best on the last climb. He kept his legs still when he realised there was nothing to gain. He made a good assessment," Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Addy Engels said to the team's official website post-stage 2.

Read also

PREVIEW | Tour Down Under 2024 stage 3 - Sam Welsford and Caleb Ewan headline sprinter showdown

"Today's stage was less exciting than expected," Engels continues after a late Isaac del Toro gave the UAE Team Emirates prodigy a surprise, first victory at World Tour level. "A few sprinters were dropped, but several survived. It didn't turn into a GC battle."

Despite their relative quietness, Engels remains optimistic. "These are not the days where we can win or make a difference," he concludes. "All we can do is make sure we don't lose and stay where we are. We got through the day well, and everyone rode well. That's a nice observation. The next two stages will probably end up in a bunch sprint. The weekend will decide the classification."

Read also

Late attack earns Isaac del Toro first pro win at Tour Down Under stage 2