Ally Wollaston takes stage 1 of Tour Down Under after breathtaking final

Stage 1 of the 2026 Women’s Tour Down Under was a 137.4 km loop from Willunga back to Willunga, a rolling day that finished on the short sting of Lower Willunga Hill.

The opening part was fairly controlled, with teams happy to let things breathe as riders settled into the first WorldTour race of the season. The first intermediate sprint at Snapper Point brought a brief burst of urgency for bonus seconds with Olivia Baril (Movistar) taking the three bonus seconds ahead of Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime) and Margaux Vigié (Visma-Lease a Bike).

After that, the race shifted when Alessia Vigilia attacked solo. The bunch did not allow a group to bridge across, so she was left out front alone, and for a while the hesitation behind played right into her hands.

Vigilia’s lead grew to more than three minutes, while the peloton tried to work out who was really going to take responsibility. FDJ United-SUEZ began to set a steadier tempo, then other teams came through as the gap became uncomfortable while Uno-X Mobility tried to disrupt the chase.

On the final lap the chase finally looked fully committed. The advantage dropped quickly, and the run-in became frantic as leadout trains started to form and teams pushed for position ahead of the uphill finish. The nervousness spilled into crashes in the closing kilometres, adding another layer of stress as the group tried to keep sprinters safe while still moving up.

Vigilia hung on deep into the finale, still with daylight in the last few kilometres, but she was caught very late, only in the final 250 metres. As soon as she was reeled in, Ally Wollaston launched on the rising finish and powered to the stage win. Josie Nelson took second and Femke Gerritse finished third.

After the race, Wollaston credited her teammates for setting up the win. “It means the world. I didn’t feel great. I was really anxious and felt a lot of pressure, and I struggled in the peloton. I’m so grateful to have teammates who guided me into the perfect position. All I had to do was finish it off.”

Tomorrow the riders take on stage 2 which goes from Magill to Paracombe over 130.7 km, another hilly route with a slight rise to the line that should suit Wollaston again.