Welsford struggled several times on the undulating 141-kilometre course from Henley Beach to Nairne. He had particular problems on the uncategorised but not at all easy ramps on the last 15 kilometres, which was also due to the high pace of the peloton. The peloton had to stretch itself if it wanted to be in contention for the stage win. Enzo Paleni (Groupama - FDJ United) was the last breakaway rider to be caught in the final kilometre.
In addition, a crash caused a hectic situation. Although he did not fall, Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl - Trek) was also held up and was therefore unable to intervene in the decision. As this also caused some cracks in the peloton, the three-kilometre rule had to be applied in order to save the old and new leader in the overall standings, Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), from losing time through no fault of his own.
By then, Welsford had already returned to the front of the field after it had no longer looked like it. "We were really struggling at the back, got passed on the last wave and I was at my absolute limit. But Kwiat (Michal Kwiatkowski) was with me the whole time and he said: 'Be patient, we'll get over it' It was so hard today. I'm lost for words," said an exhilarated Welsford at the finish, who struggled with a threshold again but was still able to suppress his tears. "The fact that the guys believed in me so much after my difficult last year, when I had probably already lost faith myself, was also one of the reasons why I was able to win here on this day, which doesn't really suit me at all. I'm so happy."
Additional sprinter opportunity: Willunga Hill cancelled due to fire risk
In fact, Welsford's track record makes for curious reading. Seven of his last eight victories - spread over three years - have come at the Tour Down Under. For the rest of the season, as was the case in his two years with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, he then disappeared.
Welsford had already announced that he would hardly be seen on the next two days either. But he didn't know at the time that what was supposed to be the queen's stage, which would lead over Willunga Hill three times, would be shortened due to extreme heat of over 40 degrees and the associated risk of fire, turning it into a sprinter's stage. This is because the passages over the climb will be omitted first and foremost.
Tour Down Under 2026 - Stage 3 results
Stage 3: Henley Beach - Nairne
Santos Tour Down Under 2026: Stage 3, Henley Beach - Nairne
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | INEOS Grenadiers | 03:26:43 |
| 2 | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | Groupama - FDJ United | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | NSN Cycling Team | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | XDS Astana Team | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Bahrain - Victorious | +00:00:00 |
How the 3rd stage of the Tour Down Under 2026 went
Immediately after the start of the stage, mountain jersey wearer Martin Urianstad Bugge (Uno-X Mobility) set out to ride another day ahead of the peloton. He was accompanied by Paleni, who had also been active as a breakaway rider during the race, and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto - Intermarché). The trio quickly gained a two-minute lead, then INEOS and Visma | Lease a Bike joined forces to prevent the gap from widening.
After the second intermediate sprint, there was a bit of action in what was otherwise a fairly even day. With 40 kilometres to go, the peloton moved towards Mount Barker. The Australians Patrick Eddy (National Team), Chris Hamilton (Tem Picnic PostNL) and Robert Stannard (Bahrain - Victorious) attacked from the peloton with the aim of preventing the impending sprint decision. However, the original breakaway trio was still almost a minute ahead. But when Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain - Victorious) attacked from behind, it was too much for UAE. Together with INEOS, they stopped the attacks and closed the resulting gap.
Meanwhile, Urianstad Bugge, Paleni and Veistroffer continued unchallenged and even extended their lead to just under one and a half minutes. With 15 kilometres to go, the man in the mountain jersey was no longer able or willing to follow. Paleni then shifted up a gear and also shook off Veistroffer. But the Frenchman didn't give up and fought his way back to his compatriot with around eight kilometres to go. But the Lotto pro's strength ran out, he let go again and was dropped by the peloton 2500 metres before the finish. At this point, Paleni still believed he had a chance. But the 23-year-old was unable to withstand the concentrated power of the sprinter teams and was also dropped around 700 metres before the line.
