"This stage wasn’t even meant to happen 24 hours ago" - Vernon celebrates unexpected triumph as Lund Andresen 'was almost perfect'

Ethan Vernon has had a strong prologue but wasn't able to show his legs during the pure sprint stages at the Tour Down Under. However today, after stage 4's route was changed, the Briton found himself in perfect position and took a dominant win - the first in NSN Cycling Team's history.

Temperatures of over 40 degrees forced organizers to remove the Old Willunga Hill from the route, and the riders would instead sprint to the line at the very base of the climb. “Everyone was suffering out there, but the boys did a really good job keeping me cool," Vernon said in a post-race interview. "I could see guys around me really struggling, and I knew I wasn’t. So I stayed calm, played it smart, and it paid off.”

“Considering this stage wasn’t even meant to happen 24 hours ago, to turn it around like that is pretty special. We lost Corbin at the start and Jake to a crash as well, so we were quite short. But the guys who were left stepped up. They were outrageous today.”

It was a chaotic finale with Decathlon and NSN having several men to the front. Whilst both Jake Stewart and Corbin Strong - riders well suited to the uphill sprint - both abandoned the race early on, Vernon still pulled off the job and he was joined by Brady Gilmore who couldn't lead him out but also sprinted to fourth on the day.

It was a victory of tactic but above all, of tremendous legs. “We watched the last couple of editions, including the women’s race and the 2023 finish. Both were won from a long jump. I was actually pretty comfortable with about 250 meters to go, so I went, got a gap, and just held it to the line.”

Vernon won ahead of Tobias Lund Andresen who was second for a second day in a row, benefitting from another strong leadout from his new team. There was however still some chaos as Decathlon had so many men into the final sprint and was not able to prevent others from anticipating.

"All the guys were still there. Four guys were left with a kilometer to go. It's just a bit of a shame that Pierre [Gautherat] should have been ahead of me, but he kind of lost my wheel. I was almost perfect again today. It was a really good job. You get used to that feeling of being ten seconds away from a cramp. It's very hot outside. It's really hot, but you just feel a bit of heaviness in your body. And when you start pushing, it's like a jolt every time. But I think we managed the cooling down well. I find it pleasant. We also had feed zones. They had two, so that's nice of the organizers."

However the Dane's consistency, and the lack from other sprinters, sees him extend his lead in the points classification which should not be closed down by anyone tomorrow in Stirling. "I think I've secured it. I'm not sure, but I think I've already won it. At least someone has to win everything tomorrow. But I think I have it, so it's a nice bonus. I think I've got it."