Chaos unfolded on the rolling terrain of Stage 3 in the Santos Tour Down Under, as the double ascent of Knots Hill – Pound Reserve provided the platform for the GC contenders to make their first moves. Spaniard Javier Romo, who extended his contract with Movistar until 2028 a few months ago, claimed his first UCI victory.
It was the first opportunity for the GC riders to test themselves on rolling terrain. With the peloton tackling Knotts Hill – Pound Reserve (2.7 km, 7.8%) twice, it was inevitable that gaps would form, as the run-in to the climb was tricky and positioning was crucial. On the first ascent of Knots Hill, the peloton averaged 6.56 ᵉW/kg over 6:50 minutes.
When the second attempt at Knotts Hill began with 8 km to go, one of the best sprint lead-out riders, Danny van Poppel, put in a huge effort for his teammate and one of the stage favourites, Finn Fisher-Black. INEOS then took over, with Lucas Hamilton leading Magnus Sheffield and Michał Kwiatkowski, both targeting the general classification. However, Jay Vine set an even higher tempo for Jhonathan Narváez. Kwiatkowski attacked, with Rémy Rochas on his wheel, but Chris Harper brought the duo back. Afonso Eulálio, who had been competing in 2024 in local Portuguese races, tried his luck but was also neutralised by Harper.
The chaos continued as the group remained too large due to drafting, until Rochas launched an attack and gained a gap. The Frenchman was the first to cross the KOM summit, producing 7.09 ᵉW/kg over 6:28 minutes. Several riders followed a few seconds behind Rochas in a smaller group, all averaging around 7.00 ᵉW/kg: Vine, Narváez, Plapp, Fisher-Black, Romo, Sheffield, Withen Philipsen, Onley, Mollema, Tronchon, Afonso, and Pedro López.
After Knotts Hill, the chaos continued as Rochas was caught. Javier Romo, who had already produced some huge w/kg performances in 2024, attacked, broke away from the main group, and secured his first UCI race victory. With more riders joining the second group, it became increasingly difficult for them to cooperate, leading to countless attacks. Narváez was the fastest from the group, finishing 5 seconds behind Romo. Lidl-Trek placed three riders in the top seven: 18-year-old Withen Philipsen, Konrad, and Bagioli. The general classification remains close and will likely be decided on Willunga Hill.
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