Stage four of the Tour Down Under had been billed in advance as the queen stage, with the traditional ascent of Willunga Hill expected to act as the decisive judge. However, due to extreme heat, the organisers were forced to shorten the stage by several dozen kilometres and, among other things, remove the climb from the route.

Three riders went up the road, but were never given much space. That was partly down to the work of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, who had set their sights on a sprint victory with Brennan. In the final kilometre, however, the young Brit was positioned too far back, leaving him unable to contest the win. Brennan eventually rolled across the line in sixteenth place.

After the finish, sports director Jesper Mørkøv reflected on the fourth stage. “First of all, we were lucky to be able to race at all today. Credit goes to the organisation for adjusting the route, which kept things safe for both the riders and the fans. Throughout the stage we were consistently well positioned, and the guys can’t be faulted for that. Unfortunately, in the final kilometres we lost sight of each other. That’s a shame, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. Fortunately, there’s still one final sprint opportunity left tomorrow in this Tour Down Under.”