Eight days after the criterium, the riders were back this Sunday in the streets of Adelaide to complete the 2025 edition of the Tour Down Under. Although it was not an exhibition in any way, the day’s menu barely featured ninety kilometres, with a 4,500-metre circuit to be repeated twenty times. “It’s the usual circuit, which we were already doing fifteen years ago,” explained Jussi Veikkanen. “It’s a beautiful city circuit with lots of spectators.” The peloton set off at 1:30 pm local time for less than two hours of racing, and it didn’t take long to see the usual scenario set up, with a trio made up of Damien Howson, Casper Pedersen and Kelland O’Brien in the lead. However, the gap never reached the one-minute bar, as the peloton remained in control in anticipation of the sprint. “The breakaway never had too much of a lead, but it still held up quite well despite the bonus seconds that were available,” explained Jussi.

The last man to surrender, Pedersen was caught just two and a half kilometres from the finish as the Groupama-FDJ riders moved back up into the pack thanks to Sven-Erik Bystrom and Clément Davy. Shortly before the flamme rouge, Lewis Askey was about to take the lead in the peloton in order to position his fellow-countryman Matt Walls, but the young Briton slipped and ended up on the ground, as did Rémy Rochas a few positions behind him. “The guys were very well placed when it all happened,” said Jussi. “Luckily Matt wasn’t caught in the crash, but Lewis was supposed to lead him out from that point on. They were ready for the fight, but Matt lost his lead-out man.” The team’s sprinter therefore managed it on his own in the last kilometre but was unable to sneak into the first positions before the last corner. “The peloton was quite stretched out, so the riders more or less stayed in the position they had before the turn,” added Jussi.

The stage ended with another victory for Sam Welsford while Matt Walls scored his third top-10 of the week (9th). “The balance could have been very satisfying if Rémy had been able to really make the most of his form yesterday,” said Jussi. “It could have been a very good Tour Down Under for us, but that’s how it is. The positive thing is that the group has a very homogeneous condition. The guys are ready, they were there every day. We just need to adjust two or three things, but it’s going in the right direction.” Despite the crash and a few bruises, Rémy Rochas and Lewis Askey were able to reach the finish this Sunday, the Frenchman therefore secured his twelfth place overall, and the two men remain under observation. On Monday, the group will fly to Melbourne, ahead of the Surf Coast Classic on Thursday and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday.