Greig Leach

Within the first two or three kilometers of the 128 kilometer stage, the Ochre Jersey, Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) crashed tearing off about half of his racing shorts. It was feared that he wouldn't be able to stay with the peloton or perhaps hoped for by the other sprinters in the race. And it was opined that if he did stay there, he wouldn't have the legs to sprint for the stage victory. To their disappointment, Arne Marit (Intermache-Wanty), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and the rest of the peloton discovered just how wrong they were at the line in Tanunda. With his second stage win in as many stages, Welsford leads by fourteen seconds over Marit on the general classification. He also has twenty-two-point lead in the sprint competition. So far, he is having a great Tour Down Under, albeit a rather sore one.