A success achieved with power and celebrated with a joyful scream right after crossing the finish line: Sam Welsford won the third stage of the Tour Down Under 2026. The INEOS Grenadiers rider, perfectly launched by his teammates, beat Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) and Lewis Bower (Groupama - FDJ United).

The 140-kilometer stage starting from Henley Beach and ending in Nairne was long dominated by the breakaway of the 23-year-old Provençal Enzo Paleni (Groupama - FDJ United) and his fellow countryman Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto Intermarchè) who escaped from the peloton right after the start and were soon joined by Martin Urianstad Bugge (Uno-X Mobility), the mountains classification leader, who has been frequently attacking these days.

The leading trio pedaled in agreement, gaining over two minutes, and the peloton let them go. But after the Intermediate Sprint in Echunga (won by Veistroffer), with about forty kilometers to go, the peloton erupted: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious), Robert Stannard (Bahrain – Victorious), Chris Hamilton (Team Picnic PostNL), and Australian champion Patrick Eddy, racing with the national team, made their move, and the peloton got very close to the breakaway riders.

Approaching the Mount Barker KOM, the group decided to slow down, so the breakaway riders crested with a 1'00" advantage over the peloton, and Martin Urianstad Bugge secured more precious points in the mountains classification.

At the first passage through the finish area, the gap between attackers and chasers was 1'12"; a few kilometers later, the group, racing at full speed, caught the Uno-X Mobility rider who had dropped back, leaving Veistroffer and Paleni to continue.

The day's action concluded 2000 meters from the finish when the peloton caught Paleni, the last breakaway rider to surrender to the sprinters.

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