“We went full gas… maybe too much” – Prologue miscalculation forces Visma pivot at the Tour Down Under
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not come to Australia to win a 3.6-kilometre prologue. But when they committed fully to the opening test at the Tour Down Under, they expected more than a quiet afternoon.
Instead, their all-in approach delivered early promise, then late frustration and, by the end of the day, a clear change of mindset.
Sports director Jesper Morkov admitted the plan had been simple: go as hard as possible from the gun. “The plan was to go full gas from the start,” he said in the team’s post-stage release. “We managed to do that, but it was clear that it was a bit too fast for Matthew and Filippo. They lost time in the second part of the prologue, which is unfortunate.”
Matthew Brennan and Filippo Fiorelli topped the first intermediate split in Adelaide, a sign that Visma’s pacing strategy was working early on. But as the 3.6-kilometre course wore on, both paid for that explosive opening. Brennan finished 29th at +9.52, Fiorelli 57th at +15.22, with Samuel Watson taking the win for INEOS Grenadiers.
From seconds to stages
The prologue was only the second time in Tour Down Under history that the race had opened with a time trial. On flat roads and tight margins, Team Visma | Lease a Bike gambled on aggression rather than control.
Morkov was honest about the outcome. “All things considered, we got off to a solid start,” he said. “The other guys also did what was expected of them.”
But the important line came next, and it said everything about where the team’s real focus now lies. “Over the coming days, we’ll be targeting a stage win. Matthew is the perfect candidate for that.”
That is the pivot.
The prologue mattered, but it was never the main objective. Visma arrived in Australia with a young, development-heavy squad. Brennan, Fiorelli, Anton Schiffer, Menno Huising, Per Strand Hagenes, Pietro Mattio and Tim Rex have spent almost two weeks in Australia building towards the race. The atmosphere, according to Morkov, is good. The ambition is now very clear.
Rather than chasing seconds in general classification battles they were unlikely to win, the team are shifting immediately to what suits this group best: aggressive riding and stage hunting.
INEOS' Samuel Watson took the prologue win at the 2026 Tour Down Under
What the prologue actually showed
The results do not flatter Visma, but the data does. Being fastest at the first intermediate split was not an accident. It showed that Brennan and Fiorelli have the power to match pure specialists, at least in short bursts. What they lacked was the ability to hold that intensity through the full effort.
That matters for the coming days. Sprint stages and reduced bunch finishes will not require perfectly even pacing over 3.6 kilometres. They will require timing, positioning and raw speed in the finale.
Brennan, who has already been highlighted internally as the stage-win card, fits that profile far better than he fits the role of a time trial specialist.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike tried to steal something from the prologue. They did not. But they also learned exactly where their edge is.
They went full gas. Maybe too much. Now they know where to aim it.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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