Poland’s Daria Pikulik yesterday rode powerfully in a bunch sprint finish to claim the first stage of Australia’s Women’s Tour Down Under outside Adelaide.
Pikulik of Human Powered Health surged through an opening for her first World Tour stage win from France’s Clara Copponi (FDJ Suez Futuroscope) and Australia’s Georgia Baker (Team Jayco-AlUla) at the end of the 110.4km Glenelg to Aldinga stage.
“I didn’t expect to win today, this is my first World Tour race and my first race with my new team,” Pikulik said.
Photo: AFP
“I can’t believe I win today. I’m just a Polish girl making the dream come true,” she said.
With time bonuses, Pikulik would take the leader’s jersey into today’s more hilly 90km second stage from Birdwood to Uraidla.
“Daria Pikulik is our triple podium star,” her team wrote on Twitter. “Stage victory, Leader’s jersey, Sprints jersey. Not a bad return for your first road race in #HumanPoweredHealth colours.”
Photo: AFP
The three-stage Women’s Tour Down Under now forms part of the UCI World Tour, with points on offer.
Pikulik, predominantly a track rider, used her powerful sprint finish to take the stage after the peloton reeled in a two-strong breakaway comprising Australians Isabelle Carnes (Ara Skip Capital) and Gina Ricardo (Team Bridgelane) with 10km to the finish line.
Leading Australian contender Amanda Spratt, who has won the Tour Down Under for three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019 finished fifth in the opening stage for her Trek-Segafredo team.
Spratt lies eighth overall, 10 seconds down going into the second stage.
Another prominent local contender, Grace Brown, leading the French FDJ Suez Futuroscope, is fourth overall after the first stage, seven seconds down on the leader.
After Baker’s third-place finish, her Team Jayco AlUla praised her on Twitter.
“A big effort on a hard and windy day, the squad back Baker for the finish and she rounds out the podium with 3rd on what was a fast and frantic dash to the line,” it wrote.
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