Strong Team Performance in the Challenging Santos Tour Down Under

In what is considered the longest women's stage ever in the Santos Tour Down Under, the AG Insurance – Soudal team delivered a strong team performance over a distance of 104.2 kilometers. The stage, perfect for all-rounders, began in the coastal town of Glenelg and ended on Mount Barker Road in Stirling. Along the route, the riders could collect Efex Queen of the Mountain points on Cherry Gardens Hill, followed by two and a half laps through the picturesque Adelaide Hills landscape, culminating in an exciting finish in Stirling.

The stage was characterized by its difficulty, but the AG Insurance – Soudal team remained largely unscathed despite a few minor crashes during the race. Our Kim Le Court was involved in one of these minor crashes at the beginning of the race, but remained unharmed. Deep into the finale, the team rode at the front, not only fighting for a stage victory but also to secure the jersey of Ally Wollaston.

The team's efforts culminated in a sprint where Sarah Gigante achieved an impressive ninth place. However, despite the team's strong efforts, Ally Wollaston ultimately had to pass the leader's jersey to Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig.

“Today was a tough day, 104 km with 2000 meters of elevation is really a lot. The team was excellent and did everything to protect Sarah and Ally. Sarah's ninth place is very good, and she's well-positioned for tomorrow without any delay, which is a good starting point. Ally just didn't have that little extra she needed, maybe due to the impact of her first victory yesterday and everything that entails. But no excuses, she just didn't have the legs for a win today. We are very happy with how things are going so far, and we are also in the mix for the overall classification with Sarah and Julie Van de Velde, who also performed well today and finished in the same time as the winner. That looks good for tomorrow, with two riders we would like to have at the front in the last stage. Tomorrow the classification will be decided”, said Sport and Technical Director Servais Knaven.