It’s that time of year again!
Seven of our riders have landed in Australia for the season opener at the Santos Tour Down Under. The festivities kicked off with the usual People’s Choice Classic criterium, a good leg opener, before tackling the six-day stage race, which began Tuesday.
The predominantly flat 145-kilometer stage one held no surprises and ended in an expected sprint finish. Mads Pedersen was our highest finisher in 15th place.
Alex Frame leads Mads Pedersen during the People's Choice Classic.
Trek-Segafredo has brought a young team this year with some veteran riders for support. Koen de Kort, Fumy Beppu and Laurent Didier will provide the experience and guidance to the young guns, Mads Pedersen, 22, Ruben Guerreiro, 23, and new recruits Niklas Eg, 23, and Alex Frame, 24.
While we don’t have a sprinter or big-named general classification (GC) star at the Tour Down Under, we do have some exciting, up-and-coming talent to cheer for.
Keep an eye on these youngsters this week – they are our future.
Fumy Beppu, Alex Frame, and Mads Pedersen relax ahead of stage one.
The sprinters have had their say for the first two races, but stage two features some climbs that should shake out the GC contenders.
Stay tuned as Ruben Guerreiro and Niklas Eg test their legs against the more established WorldTour climbers.
