Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 21/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 1 - Tanunda to Tanunda - Tobias Lund Andressen, Decathlon CMA CGM.

Tobias Lund Andresen upsets Welsford to claim ochre jersey and Stage 1 win at Tour down Under

Danish sprinter executes on a perfect lead-out for Decathlon CMA CGM as two-time Tanunda winner is boxed in during chaotic finale to Tour Down Under's opening road stage.

By Peter Stuart · · 3 min read

Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) won Stage 1 of the Santos Tour Down Under in Tanunda, taking the ochre jersey from prologue winner Sam Watson with a sprint that left favourite Sam Welsford boxed in.

The 23-year-old Dane, racing his first WorldTour event for his new team, beat Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers) on a finish line where the Australian had won both previous editions.

Results

Tanunda • Jan 21 • 120.6km

Velora
PosRiderTeamTime
🥇
DK flagTobias Lund Andresen
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM2:42:41
🥈
GB flagMatthew Brennan
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
🥉
AU flagSamuel Welsford
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
4
NL flagDanny van Poppel
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
5
GB flagEthan Kane Vernon
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
6
AU flagLiam Walsh
Unknown+00
7
BE flagLionel Taminiaux
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+00
8
NL flagCasper Cornelis van Uden
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
9
DE flagTim Torn Teutenberg
LIDL-TREK+00
10
US flagLuke Lamperti
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
11
CO flagJuan Sebastian Molano Benavides
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
12
SI flagŽak Eržen
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
13
NO flagTord Gudmestad
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
14
NZ flagFinn Lachlan Fox Fisher-Black
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
15
NL flagMaikel Zijlaard
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
16
NZ flagAaron Murray Gate
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
17
NZ flagLewis Bower
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
18
NO flagStian Edvardsen-Fredheim
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
19
ES flagHaimar Etxeberria Ansalas
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
20
FR flagTom Donnenwirth
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
21
ES flagGonzalo Serrano Rodriguez
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
22
NL flagDarren van Bekkum
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
23
AU flagJensen Plowright
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+00
24
IT flagAlberto Dainese
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
25
AU flagRobert Stannard
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
26
EC flagJhonatan Narvaez Prado
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
27
DK flagMikkel Norsgaard Bjerg
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
28
ER flagNatnael Tesfatsion
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
29
AU flagJay Vine
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
30
FR flagRémi Cavagna
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
31
AU flagRudy Porter
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
32
AU flagOliver Bleddyn
Unknown+00
33
GB flagBen Swift
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
34
IT flagMatteo Sobrero
LIDL-TREK+00
35
EC flagJefferson Cepeda Ortiz
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
36
AU flagMatthew Dinham
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
37
ES flagAlbert Torres Barcelo
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
38
AT flagMarco Schrettl
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
39
SI flagGal Glivar
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+00
40
DE flagFlorian Stork
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
41
DK flagAnthon Charmig
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
42
GB flagSamuel Watson
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
43
NO flagEmbret Svestad-Bårdseng
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
44
CH flagMauro Schmid
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
45
IT flagAndrea Bagioli
LIDL-TREK+00
46
AU flagKelland O’Brien
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
47
NZ flagGeorge Bennett
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
48
BE flagFabio van den Bossche
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
49
IT flagFilippo Zana
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
50
FR flagTitouan Fontaine
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
51
DE flagGeorg Zimmermann
Unknown+00
52
DK flagAndreas Lorentz Kron
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
53
NZ flagLaurence Pithie
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
54
GB flagThomas Jake Stewart
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
55
AU flagMatthew Fox
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+00
56
IT flagEdoardo Zambanini
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
57
NL flagSam Oomen
LIDL-TREK+00
58
CO flagSantiago Buitrago Sanchez
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
59
HR flagFran Miholjević
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
60
NZ flagCorbin John Strong
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
61
GB flagOliver Peace
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
62
DE flagMarco Brenner
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
63
AU flagLucas Plapp
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
64
PT flagIvo Emanuel Alves Oliveira
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
65
AU flagHamish Mckenzie
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
66
AU flagBen O'Connor
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
67
IT flagSimone Velasco
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
68
AU flagDamien Craig Howson
Unknown+00
69
IT flagFrancesco Busatto
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+00
70
GB flagAdam Richard Yates
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
71
DE flagAnton Schiffer
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
72
AU flagBrady Gilmore
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
73
DE flagNiklas Märkl
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
74
NO flagErik Nordsaeter Resell
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
75
IT flagDavide Toneatti
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
76
DK flagCasper Pedersen
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
77
DE flagJonas Rutsch
Unknown+00
78
AU flagLuke Tuckwell
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
79
LU flagKévin Geniets
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
80
AU flagAlastair Mackellar
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
81
IT flagJacopo Mosca
LIDL-TREK+00
82
FR flagNicolas Prodhomme
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
83
GB flagJames Knox
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
84
AU flagChristopher Harper
Unknown+00
85
FR flagGuillaume Martin Guyonnet
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
86
AU flagPatrick Eddy
Unknown+00
87
NL flagJardi Christiaan van der Lee
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
88
IT flagFlorian Samuel Kajamini
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
89
AU flagChristopher Hamilton
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
90
AU flagNicholas Schultz
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
91
AU flagJarrad Eriks Drizners
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
92
EC flagJefferson Alveiro Cepeda Hernandez
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
93
IT flagFilippo Fiorelli
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
94
AU flagOscar Chamberlain
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
95
CA flagMichael Shea Leonard
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
96
AU flagJack Haig
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
97
ES flagJavier Romo Oliver
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
98
AU flagCallum Scotson
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
99
IT flagAlessandro Romele
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
100
PL flagMichal Kwiatkowski
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
101
FR flagHenri François Renard Haquin
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
102
NO flagVegard Stake Laengen
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
103
AU flagHarrison Sweeny
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
104
FR flagPierre Gautherat
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
105
FR flagEnzo Paleni
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
106
FR flagBaptiste Veistroffer
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+00
107
BE flagLennert van Eetvelt
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+00
108
IT flagManlio Moro
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
109
FR flagAntoine L'Hote
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
110
CZ flagPavel Novák
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
111
NO flagStorm Ingebrigtsen
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
112
AU flagLucas Stevenson
Unknown+00
113
IT flagAndrea Raccagni Noviero
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
114
GB flagOliver Stockwell
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
115
NZ flagReuben Thompson
Unknown+00
116
AU flagMatthew Greenwood
Unknown+00
117
AT flagPatrick Konrad
LIDL-TREK+00
118
NL flagPascal Eenkhoorn
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
119
AU flagSimon James Clarke
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
120
ER flagAmanuel Ghebreigzabhier
LIDL-TREK+00
121
BE flagSente Sentjens
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+00
122
IT flagPietro Mattio
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
123
NL flagMenno Huising
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
124
AT flagMichael Gogl
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+00
125
AU flagLuke Durbridge
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
126
NO flagAnders Skaarseth
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
127
NO flagPer Strand Hagenes
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
128
CZ flagPetr Kelemen
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
129
LU flagLuc Wirtgen
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
130
NL flagPepijn Reinderink
Unknown+00
131
NO flagMartin Bugge
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
132
AU flagLucas Hamilton
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
133
BE flagTim Rex
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
134
CH flagJoel Suter
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
135
GB flagMax Walker
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+32
136
DE flagMaurice Ballerstedt
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+37
137
GB flagCallum Thornley
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+44
138
NL flagTim Marsman
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+56

Sprint execution

Ineos Grenadiers and Visma | Lease a Bike controlled the closing kilometres, but the final 200 metres were highly disorganised. Welsford, positioned for the win, found himself squeezed toward the barriers as Andresen launched from behind teammate Tord Gudmestad.

"I think you need to be a little bit stupid to be a sprinter and enjoy this kind of finish," Andresen said. "Our plan was so good. It's not often you can do what you plan but we managed to pull it off."

Welsford and Brennan had to come from a long way back and were closing quickly. But the line came a little too soon and Brennan missed out by half a wheel.

Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 21/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 1 - Tanunda to Tanunda - Patrick Eddy, Australian National Team.
Image 1 of 4
Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 21/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 1 - Tanunda to Tanunda - Tobias Lund Andressen, Decathlon CMA CGM.
Image 2 of 4
Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 21/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 1 - Tanunda to Tanunda - The peloton
Image 3 of 4
Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 21/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 1 - Tanunda to Tanunda - The peloton.
Image 4 of 4

Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com

GC positioning begins early

While sprinters fought for the stage, GC teams were already banking seconds. UAE Team Emirates-XRG drove the peloton to the first intermediate sprint at Lyndoch, delivering defending champion Jhonatan Narváez to three bonus seconds. He sits 13th overall, seven seconds off ochre.

A three-man break featuring Guillaume Marti, Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X Mobility) controlled the two remaining sprints and KOM points. Urianstad won all three Menglers Hill ascents, taking the climber's jersey.

Descents off Menglers Hill saw speeds exceeding 100km/h. Max van der Meulen (Bahrain Victorious) crashed and was hospitalised, while Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor Pro Cycling) abandoned with 35km remaining.

The GC challenge ahead

Andresen holds ochre by one second over Watson, with key GC names clustered within nine seconds. That margin will be tested on Stage 2, which is one of the toughest stages in a route race organisers have described as the hardest in Tour Down Under history.

The 148.1km route from Norwood to Uraidla includes Norton Summit and two ascents of Corkscrew Road, a 2.4km climb averaging 9.7%. Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), currently seventh at five seconds, and Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla), 19th at nine seconds, start Stage 2 within nine seconds of the lead.

Read our guide on how to watch Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under.

Peter

Peter Stuart

Editor

Peter is the editor of Velora and oversees Velora’s editorial strategy and content standards, bringing nearly 20 years of cycling journalism to the site. He was editor of Cyclingnews from 2022, introducing its digital membership strategy and expanding its content pillars. Before that he was digital editor at Cyclist, and then Rouleur. Before joining Cyclist in 2012, he completed freelance work for titles including The Times and The Telegraph. He has reported from Grand Tours and WorldTour races, and previously represented Great Britain as a rower.