Results Tour Down Under 2026 | Victory for INEOS at opening Adelaide prologue as Sam Watson beats Ethan Vernon
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers have come out on top on the opening day of the 2026 World Tour calendar. Samuel Watson was the main favourite to win the prologue of the Tour Down Under in the city of Adelaide, and he delivered as he brought in INEOS Grenadiers' first win of the year.
The 3.6-kilometer route was raced on road bikes, providing a different challenge than most are used to. It was an effort of just over 4 minutes for the riders who rode through the streets of Adelaide one minute at a time. The strongest men on the day were all figures that were expected to be near the top.
Laurence Pithie finished third on the day, 2 seconds behind early starter Sam Watson who was already heavily hinted to be the first rider to succeed in the race. The puncheur thrived in the technical course and managed to take the win with less than 1 second over Ethan Vernon.
Jay Vine and Mauro Schmid, only 4 seconds behind Watson, were the best positioned GC candidates on the day. Stage 1 tomorrow into Tanunda will be a stage suited to the sprinters, where bonifications can already change the owner of the ochre jersey.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
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