Sam Welsford and Bora-Hansgrohe are dominating the Tour Down Under sprints.
The Australian took his second scalp of the men’s race on Thursday by about half a bike length and with time to take a quick glance back at the bunch.
The result, you could argue, was pre-determined and carefully constructed.
Mentality is a big thing in sprinting. Sometimes you can lose a race before it’s even begun by accepting a rival is stronger.
Welsford and Bora-Hansgrohe had that edge on Thursday’s 145.3km run from Tea Tree Gully to Campbelltown. There was more discussion in and outside of the peloton about fighting for his wheel than focusing on the actual finish line where the winner is decided.
It’s a huge compliment to the Australian, who turns 28 on Friday and this year is balancing road commitments with a gold medal Olympic bid on the track. He has the best lead out train and is the fastest in the sprint to the line despite Welsford only joining the German team for 2024.
Teammate and impressive lead out man Danny van Poppel compared Welsford’s power to that of Kittel and Greipel when he claimed stage one earlier in the week. Even Caleb Ewan (Jayco-Alula) was looking for his wheel on stage three, as was Elia Viviani and everyone else.
“I’ve always wanted to be one of the best sprinters in the world,” Welsford said.
“I still think Caleb is one of the best sprinters in the world as well. On our day all the top sprinters in the world are very close. You can see most of the sprints now are coming down to these bike throws because everyone is so fast and well-drilled in these lead-outs.
“That’s why we’ve been able to get two wins here is because all of the lead-out has been really good, we’ve really nailed it. Not every day is going to be perfect, and we have to know that. Tomorrow, the next sprint day, maybe we get chopped out, or we lose the wheel, so we have to really make sure we capitalise on that.”
The intricacies of a successful lead-out train can take months, even years, to formulate and confirm. Some never do but Welsford has adjusted to working with the likes of Danny van Poppel and Ryan Mullen as quickly as he can kick.
“With those guys leading me out it’s almost hard not to get it right,” Welsford said.
“They’re fully backing me when it’s my first year on the team let alone a month on the team. That’s really nice to have that gel already so early in the season.
“I was giving some calls about when to move, when to not, but with Danny and Ryan in front of you, you can turn your brain off, and they’ll do the whole thing for you. They’re so smart and also on the same wavelength with everything we do.”
Van Poppel and Mullen are well-trained, having previously worked with Irish champion and former Tour de France green jersey winner Sam Bennett, who has moved from Bora-Hansgrohe to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale this season.
Bora-Hansgroghe sent directeur sportif Bernhard Eisel and Shane Archbold to the Tour Down Under and both had racing careers as key lieutenants to Cavendish and Bennett during their careers.
“It’s pretty special to come to the race with the team, the first one of the season, the first one together, and then pick up two stages is a product of how committed and motivated we are to make sure we win together in a good way,” Welsford said.
“I think we’ve got our eyes set on some really big goals this year, so this is a really good stepping stone to getting it right and making sure when we come to those Grand Tours, or big one-day races, we have it dialled.”
