Race report

Sam Watson scorches to victory in Tour Down Under prologue

The British champion is the first leader of the Tour Down Under after he mastered the 3.6km time trial course in Adelaide ahead of compatriot Ethan Vernon. Jay Vine had to settle for fourth place, but he underlined his GC aspirations in the process.

January 20 2026 - 11:00 AM

Cor Vos

Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers) scorched to victory in the prologue of the Tour Down Under to claim the first ochre jersey of the race in Adelaide’s Victoria Park.

The Briton had shown his aptitude in the discipline by winning the prologue of the Tour de Romandie last year, and he mastered the 3.6km course to take victory on the first WorldTour race day of the season.

Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling Team) took second, 0.59 seconds down, while Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished third at three seconds.

Australian time trial champion Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was the last rider down the start ramp, and he underlined his GC aspirations at this race by placing fourth at four seconds.

It was the first prologue at the Tour Down Under since 2023, and as on that occasion, riders raced on their regular road bikes – albeit equipped with rear disc wheels – rather than their time trial set-ups.

Michael Leonard (EF Education-EasyPost) was the early pace-setter in the short, sharp effort, but his time was quickly superseded by Watson, who rattled around the course at an average speed of 50.7kph to move into the hotseat.

The 24-year-old would stay there for the remainder of the evening, though he was pushed close by Vernon’s determined effort. When prologue specialist Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling) fell four seconds short, Watson must have known he was on the cusp of victory, but he still endured an anxious wait with Luke Plapp (Jayco-Alula) and Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) still to come.

Plapp came in eight seconds down, which left him off the pace for stage honours, but it puts him firmly in the mix for final overall victory, while Vine laid down his own marker shortly afterwards.

Last year's overall winner Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) conceded nine seconds, finishing just ahead of Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike), while Ben O'Connor (Jayco-Alula) came in 13 seconds back.

The opening road stage of the Tour Down Under on Wednesday should present an opportunity for the sprinters, and the race leader Sam Watson will be a key part of new Ineos teammate Sam Welsford's lead-out effort.