The first road race of the new year took place in and around Tanunda on a 144-kilometre course. It soon became clear that the stage would end in a bunch sprint after the climbs of Menglers Hill failed to make any difference.

The wind proved treacherous in the final kilometres, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike came through the day unscathed. "That was the most important thing”, sports director Addy Engels said. "It was a nervous ride. The wind picked up a lot and even got a bit tricky. You could see that everyone was on their toes. With forty degrees, it was also super hot today.”

With Bart Lemmen, Loe van Belle and Johannes Staune-Mittet, Team Visma | Lease a Bike had some new riders at the start. "They made a good impression on me. They are in good shape and have a lot of power. That's always good."

A more challenging stage awaits the riders tomorrow, Engels predicted. "Quite early on, we'll come to a lap that we'll do three times. There is a tricky climb, and the last summit is eight kilometres from the finish. Our first goal is to get through the day well and then make sure Milan is in a good position when the climb starts.”