Daniek Hengeveld (Ceratizit-WNT) claimed victory in the opening stage of the women’s Tour Down Under with a daring breakaway, marking her first UCI World Tour stage win on Friday near Adelaide. The 22-year-old Dutch rider stunned the peloton with an attack 50 kilometers from the finish, securing a 36-second margin over New Zealand’s Olympic silver medalist Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) and Austria’s Kathrin Schweinberger (Human Powered Health), who finished second and third respectively.

Hengeveld Takes Command

Hengeveld’s bold move not only secured the stage win but also gave her a 43-second lead over Wollaston and a 45-second gap on Schweinberger in the overall standings. The second stage, a 115km route from Unley to Willunga Hill, will further test the riders on Saturday.

“It was super unexpected,” Hengeveld said after her victory. “I really didn’t expect that after quite a hard year last year with a really big crash in the Tour of Britain and not racing for seven months. It’s a good start for a small team like ours—maybe it was a little bit of luck, but we start on the right note.”

Unexpected Drama in Hot Conditions

Racing in hot weather, Hengeveld’s solo attack built a lead of over three minutes, turning what was anticipated to be a bunch sprint into a solo celebration. The stage win also handed her the overall lead and added to her palmarès, which includes a prologue win at the 2021 Belgrade GP Tour. “I was racing like I was 19 again,” she said.

American star Chloe Dygert (Canyon Sram), a 12-time world champion, attempted an attack within the last 10 kilometers but was reeled in by the peloton. She finished 14th, unable to bridge the gap to Hengeveld. Meanwhile, Justine Ghekiere, reigning Tour de France and Giro d’Italia Queen of the Mountain, finished 16th and hinted at a stronger performance in the upcoming climbing stages. “I’m really looking forward to Willunga Hill. We will see what happens, especially because of the heat,” she remarked.

Alyssa Polites (ARA Australia National Team) claimed the Queen of the Mountains points and jersey for the stage, adding to the excitement of the day’s racing.