2025 Santos Tour Down Under

Daring Attack Pays Off For Spain's Javier Romo In Tour Down Under 2025

Daring Attack Pays Off For Spain's Javier Romo In Tour Down Under 2025

Javier Romo wins Tour Down Under Stage 3 with a daring attack, claiming his first UCI World Tour victory and the leader's ochre jersey in Australia.

Jan 23, 2025 by AFP Report
Late Attack Stuns Tour Down Under Favs

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Spain's Javier Romo claimed his first UCI World Tour victory with a bold attack in the third stage of the Tour Down Under, seizing the leader's ochre jersey with three stages remaining.


Romo's Bold Move Secures Victory

Romo (Movistar Team) launched his decisive attack after the final hill climb, five kilometers from the finish in Uraidla, holding off the peloton for a solo win. He crossed the line five seconds ahead of Colombian Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates) and New Zealander Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

"It's so important for me. After this winter I worked a lot for the Tour Down Under. I can imagine this day," Romo said. "I am so happy, I want to say thank you to my team, because today was very good for me. In the last kilometre I knew the victory was mine."

Shake-Up In The General Classification

Romo now holds an eight-second lead over Narvaez, with Austria's Patrick Konrad third. Overnight race leader Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished 108th after a challenging stage and dropped to 105th overall, 12.3 seconds behind Romo.

Defending champion Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) recovered from a crash in the feed zone, finishing 28th on the stage and 23rd overall, 35 seconds behind Romo. Williams will be assessed by team medical staff after his crash.

Spaniard Martin Lopez (XDS Astana) suffered a serious crash 15km from the finish, hitting the tarmac head first. He abandoned the race and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Browning Extends King Of The Mountain Lead

Australian rider Fergus Browning (ARA Australian Team) continued to impress, extending his lead in the King of the Mountain classification to 43 points by winning two of the three KOM segments on Thursday.

The 157.2km fourth stage to Victor Harbour awaits on Friday, promising more action in the World Tour season opener.