Despite the removal of Willunga Hill from the route, the fourth stage of the Tour Down Under still took its toll this Saturday. Several riders were forced to abandon after crashes, while others withdrew due to the intense heat, including Kevin Geniets and also Rémi Cavagna, who had animated the early part of the race within the breakaway. Tom Donnenwirth tried to get involved in the final sprint but fell just short of the top-10, finishing 13th. The race will conclude on Sunday with a hilly final stage around Stirling.
For its 2026 edition, the Tour Down Under was for once deprived of its “queen stage.” Due to the forecast extreme heat and a high risk of bushfires, the usual and iconic climb of Willunga Hill was removed from the course, which meant the GC contenders didn’t get a second opportunity to fight. “It completely changed the nature of the race,” explained Jussi Veikkanen. “From a climbers’ race, it became a sprinters’ race. In a way, it was also good for us because we had a nice day yesterday and wanted to build on that momentum.” Like Enzo Paleni 24 hours earlier, the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team immediately got involved in the mix, first through Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, before Rémi Cavagna managed to make it into the day’s decisive breakaway, formed with three riders. “At the beginning, the peloton didn’t want to give too much time, then there was a big acceleration when we entered McLaren Vale because everyone was stressed by the wind,” Jussi added. “There were several crashes, the peloton split into several groups and that caused some confusion. The peloton stopped riding to let everyone get back on, which allowed Rémi’s group to gain time.”
“Lewis didn’t feel great” – Jussi Veikkanen
The gap then passed the symbolic three-minute mark before the peloton gradually got going again in the second half of the stage. The trio’s advantage was reduced to two minutes with 50 kilometres to go, and shortly afterwards Rémi Cavagna was forced to let Luke Plapp and Matthew Greenwood go due to a heatstroke, which eventually led to his withdrawal. The breakaway was caught with more than 20 kilometres to go, and the bunch stayed together for a few minutes before things became serious as the sprint approached. “We did a recon of the stage and knew it down to the last detail,” said Jussi. “Lewis felt confident last night and also when we asked him during the stage. We wanted to keep the same momentum and he had the opportunity to confirm his performance of the previous day. Unfortunately, when the pace really picked up, he didn’t feel great and told us three kilometers from the finish that he didn’t have the legs to sprint. It’s obviously frustrating and it disrupted us a bit, but Tom was already in position since he was meant to lead him out.” The French puncheur therefore tried to find his way through in the uphill drag to the line, but having started too far back, he could do no better than 13th at the finish.
In addition to Rémi Cavagna, Kevin Geniets was also forced to abandon due to the stifling heat. On Sunday, Groupama-FDJ United will start the final stage with five riders. “We’re heading to Stirling on a circuit we know, and they’re forecasting cooler temperatures, so things should return to normal,” Jussi concluded. “It’s a stage that can suit us, even if the circuit is never easy to handle. It’s still a great opportunity, and we’ll try to make the most of it.”
