Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 24/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 4 - Brighton to Willunga - Ethan Vernon, NSN Pro Cycling Team, wins Stage 4.

Ethan Vernon takes Stage 4 sprint as fire danger strips Willunga climb from Tour Down Under queen stage

Extreme heat and fire warnings forced organisers to the key Willunga climb from Stage 4, while defending champion Jhonatan Narváez abandoned after an early crash, leaving Jay Vine exposed ahead of Sunday's Stirling decider.

By Peter Stuart · · 2 min read

Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling Team) won a reduced bunch sprint on a heat-shortened Stage 4 on Lower Willunga Hill, as race leader Jay Vine retained the ochre jersey but lost key UAE Team Emirates-XRG support to crashes.

The British rider jumped with about 250m to go and no one was able to match his kick. "We watched the last couple of editions of the women's and in 2023, and both guys won from a jump," said Vernon after the stage. "And I was sat there pretty comfy, 250 to go, so I went".

Results

Brighton - Willunga Hill • Jan 24 • 176km

Velora
PosRiderTeamTime
🥇
GB flagEthan Kane Vernon
NSN CYCLING TEAM2:56:30
🥈
DK flagTobias Lund Andresen
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
🥉
NZ flagLaurence Pithie
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+00
4
AU flagBrady Gilmore
NSN CYCLING TEAM+00
5
NZ flagAaron Murray Gate
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
6
IT flagEdoardo Zambanini
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
7
GB flagSamuel Watson
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
8
DK flagAnthon Charmig
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
9
IT flagAndrea Raccagni Noviero
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
10
FR flagPierre Gautherat
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
11
NL flagMaikel Zijlaard
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
12
AU flagPatrick Eddy
Unknown+00
13
FR flagTom Donnenwirth
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
14
DE flagTim Torn Teutenberg
LIDL-TREK+00
15
DK flagAndreas Lorentz Kron
UNO-X MOBILITY+00
16
GB flagMatthew Brennan
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
17
ES flagJavier Romo Oliver
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
18
CH flagMauro Schmid
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
19
ER flagNatnael Tesfatsion
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
20
DE flagMarco Brenner
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
21
AU flagJensen Plowright
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+00
22
BE flagLionel Taminiaux
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+00
23
AU flagBen O'Connor
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
24
IT flagMatteo Sobrero
LIDL-TREK+00
25
ES flagGonzalo Serrano Rodriguez
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
26
IT flagFilippo Zana
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
27
AU flagHarrison Sweeny
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
28
DE flagGeorg Zimmermann
Unknown+00
29
AU flagJay Vine
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+00
30
IT flagAlberto Dainese
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+00
31
NO flagEmbret Svestad-Bårdseng
INEOS GRENADIERS+00
32
NL flagSam Oomen
LIDL-TREK+00
33
CA flagMichael Shea Leonard
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
34
IT flagFlorian Samuel Kajamini
XDS ASTANA TEAM+00
35
FR flagNicolas Prodhomme
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
36
AU flagChristopher Harper
Unknown+00
37
NO flagTord Gudmestad
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+00
38
DE flagAnton Schiffer
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+00
39
EC flagJefferson Alveiro Cepeda Hernandez
MOVISTAR TEAM+00
40
AU flagChristopher Hamilton
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+00
41
DE flagFlorian Stork
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+00
42
AU flagRudy Porter
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+00
43
AU flagOliver Bleddyn
Unknown+00
44
CO flagSantiago Buitrago Sanchez
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+00
45
EC flagJefferson Cepeda Ortiz
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+00
46
FR flagGuillaume Martin Guyonnet
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+00
47
NL flagPascal Eenkhoorn
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+13
48
US flagLuke Lamperti
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+18
49
NZ flagFinn Lachlan Fox Fisher-Black
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+18
50
PT flagIvo Emanuel Alves Oliveira
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+25
51
IT flagSimone Velasco
XDS ASTANA TEAM+25
52
SI flagGal Glivar
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+25
53
AT flagMarco Schrettl
XDS ASTANA TEAM+25
54
CZ flagPavel Novák
MOVISTAR TEAM+25
55
NO flagErik Nordsaeter Resell
UNO-X MOBILITY+25
56
GB flagAdam Richard Yates
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+25
57
AU flagOscar Chamberlain
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+25
58
AU flagDamien Craig Howson
Unknown+36
59
AU flagJack Haig
INEOS GRENADIERS+36
60
FR flagEnzo Paleni
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+36
61
GB flagJames Knox
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+36
62
AU flagNicholas Schultz
NSN CYCLING TEAM+36
63
GB flagOliver Peace
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+36
64
AU flagMatthew Dinham
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+41
65
AU flagLucas Stevenson
Unknown+41
66
AU flagSamuel Welsford
INEOS GRENADIERS+41
67
AU flagAlastair Mackellar
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+44
68
NO flagAnders Skaarseth
UNO-X MOBILITY+44
69
IT flagManlio Moro
MOVISTAR TEAM+44
70
LU flagLuc Wirtgen
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+57
71
BE flagFabio van den Bossche
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+58
72
ES flagHaimar Etxeberria Ansalas
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+1:01
73
AU flagRobert Stannard
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+1:01
74
AU flagHamish Mckenzie
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:01
75
AU flagLucas Plapp
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:01
76
SI flagŽak Eržen
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+1:01
77
IT flagAndrea Bagioli
LIDL-TREK+1:01
78
IT flagFrancesco Busatto
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+1:01
79
AU flagCallum Scotson
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+1:03
80
NL flagDarren van Bekkum
XDS ASTANA TEAM+1:03
81
IT flagDavide Toneatti
XDS ASTANA TEAM+1:03
82
GB flagBen Swift
INEOS GRENADIERS+1:03
83
PL flagMichal Kwiatkowski
INEOS GRENADIERS+1:03
84
NO flagMartin Bugge
UNO-X MOBILITY+1:03
85
AT flagMichael Gogl
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+1:13
86
AU flagMatthew Greenwood
Unknown+1:16
87
ER flagAmanuel Ghebreigzabhier
LIDL-TREK+1:16
88
NL flagTim Marsman
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+1:19
89
FR flagBaptiste Veistroffer
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+1:19
90
AU flagSimon James Clarke
NSN CYCLING TEAM+1:22
91
GB flagCallum Thornley
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+1:25
92
ES flagAlbert Torres Barcelo
MOVISTAR TEAM+1:28
93
AT flagPatrick Konrad
LIDL-TREK+1:28
94
IT flagJacopo Mosca
LIDL-TREK+1:28
95
AU flagLuke Tuckwell
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+1:31
96
NZ flagGeorge Bennett
NSN CYCLING TEAM+1:31
97
NL flagMenno Huising
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:33
98
IT flagPietro Mattio
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:33
99
NO flagPer Strand Hagenes
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:33
100
AU flagJarrad Eriks Drizners
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+1:33
101
CZ flagPetr Kelemen
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+1:37
102
IT flagFilippo Fiorelli
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+1:38
103
NZ flagLewis Bower
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+1:42
104
IT flagAlessandro Romele
XDS ASTANA TEAM+1:52
105
NZ flagReuben Thompson
Unknown+1:53
106
FR flagTitouan Fontaine
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+1:59
107
NL flagPepijn Reinderink
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+2:12
108
BE flagTim Rex
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+2:14
109
AU flagLuke Durbridge
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+2:16
110
NO flagStorm Ingebrigtsen
UNO-X MOBILITY+2:16
111
DK flagCasper Pedersen
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+2:19
112
NL flagCasper Cornelis van Uden
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+2:19
113
HR flagFran Miholjević
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+2:19
114
GB flagOliver Stockwell
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+2:22
115
CH flagJoel Suter
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+2:37
116
AU flagMatthew Fox
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+3:19
117
GB flagMax Walker
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+3:19
118
DE flagNiklas Märkl
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+3:24
119
FR flagHenri François Renard Haquin
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+3:45
120
AU flagKelland O’Brien
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+4:21
121
AU flagLucas Hamilton
INEOS GRENADIERS+4:21
122
DK flagMikkel Norsgaard Bjerg
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+4:43
123
CO flagJuan Sebastian Molano Benavides
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+4:51
124
DE flagMaurice Ballerstedt
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+8:32
125
BE flagSente Sentjens
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+8:32
126
NO flagStian Edvardsen-Fredheim
UNO-X MOBILITY+8:32

The original 176km queen stage, featuring three ascents of Willunga Hill, was cut to 131km after an "Extreme" fire danger rating and 45°C forecast prompted organisers to relocate the finish to the township and remove all climbing.

Early crash removes Narváez from GC battle

Defending champion Jhonatan Narváez went down within the opening 10km and abandoned under the concussion protocol. The Ecuadorian had entered the day second overall and was UAE's second GC option for the Stirling finale.

Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) attacked into a three-man break alongside Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United) and Matthew Greenwood (ARA Australia), building a gap exceeding three minutes that briefly made Plapp virtual race leader.

Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 24/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 4 - Brighton to Willunga - Ethan Vernon, NSN Pro Cycling Team, wins Stage 4.
Image 1 of 3
Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 24/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 4 - Brighton to Willunga - The peloton.
Image 2 of 3
Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com - 24/01/2026 - Cycling - 2026 Tour Down Under - Stage 4 - Brighton to Willunga - The peloton.
Image 3 of 3

Crosswinds cause Laengen crash

Nervousness through the McLaren Vale crosswind sections triggered a second crash at 84km, taking out Vegard Stake Laengen, another key UAE domestique. The break was caught 23.7km from the finish as Decathlon CMA CGM drove hard for Tobias Lund Andresen.

Multiple Decathlon riders inadvertently boxed in Lund Andresen with 200m remaining, allowing Vernon to launch.

"The boys did a really good job keeping me cool," Vernon said. "I saw guys suffering and I just kept calm."

Vine faces Stirling with reduced squad

Vine leads Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) by 1:03 and Harrison Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) by 1:12, but enters Sunday's eight-lap Stirling circuit finale with just four teammates.

The repeated 4% drags to the Stirling finish line will be covered eight times, with UAE starting the stage with four support riders for Vine.

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.