Second sprint at the Tour Down Under and second victory for Sam Welsford. The Australian from Red Bull - BORA – hansgrohe, who also won yesterday, managed to hit the target again despite a crash in the first kilometers that left evident marks on his "ochre" leader's jersey and shorts. At the end of the 128 kilometers stage disputed around Tanunda, Welsford beat Belgian Arne Marit (Intermarché – Wanty) and Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) with Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl - Trek) in fourth position and Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL) in fifth place. The commissaires' panel intervened by modifying the day's top 10, sanctioning Danny van Poppel who, after launching the sprint for his teammate Welsford, slowed down and hindered the competitors following him: the 31-year-old Dutchman was demoted from eighth to one hundred and twelfth position in the day's ranking and was punished with a Yellow Card, 500 Swiss Francs fine and penalty points in various classifications. The twenty-year-old Ligurian Andrea Raccagni Noviero crossed the finish line not far from the best, ranking twelfth and being the best Italian.

THE STAGE - At kilometer zero, the climbers' leader Fergus Browning (Australian National Team) escaped from the group, wanting to repeat yesterday's breakaway. The 21-year-old was joined by Austrian Patrick Konrad (Lidl – Trek) and German Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché – Wanty), forming the trio that animated the stage for a long time.

The breakaway ended about 45 kilometers from the finish when the peloton came back together. In the final lap, and particularly in the last twenty kilometers of the race, there were several attacks: various Team Jayco AlUla athletes tried to make a selection, as well as Michał Kwiatkowski, Jay Vine, and the young Italian Daniel Skerl, who is with Bahrain - Victorious this year. On the last climb, Welsford struggled a bit but managed to return to the leading group thanks to the support of his Red Bull - BORA – hansgrohe teammates, who then launched him towards success and another day as leader.

In the general classification, behind the Australian athlete are now Marit and Brennan, both 14 seconds behind. Tomorrow the Tour Down Under will live its third stage, engaging the competitors along the 147 kilometers of Norwood / Uraidla.

WINNER'S WORDS - Immediately after the finish line, Welsford received his mother's congratulations and commenting on the stage, he said: "It was a tough, somewhat nervous stage. The breakaway started immediately, we controlled it. Then my teammates helped me even on the circuit's climbs: when the road goes up, I know I have a limit. The guys guided me very well, we maintained calm and got back in. The sprint? Maybe we started a bit early with the train, but we managed to secure the success".

FINISH ORDER

 1 81 WELSFORD Sam +00 RBH AUS B:10"

 2 63 MARIT Arne ' ' IWA BEL B:06"

 3 101COQUARD Bryan ' ' COF FRA B:04"

 4 171TEUTENBERG Tim Torn ' ' LTK GER

 5 91 LUND ANDRESEN Tobias ' ' TPP DEN

 6 156UHLIG Henri ' ' ADC GER

 7 77 WATSON Samuel ' ' IGD GBR

 8 6 STRONG Corbin ' ' IPT NZL

 9 107RENARD Alexis ' ' COF FRA

 10 187WALLS Matthew ' ' GFC GBR

 11 21 BAUHAUS Phil ' ' TBV GER

 12 43 *RACCAGNI NOVIERO Andrea ' ' SOQ ITA

 13 126TESFAZION Natnael ' ' MOV ERI

 14 17 STEWART Campbell ' ' JAY NZL

 15 152BOVEN Lars ' ' ADC NED

 16 121CANAL BLANCO Carlos ' ' MOV ESP

 17 56 TRONCHON Bastien ' ' DAT FRA

 18 55 LABROSSE Jordan ' ' DAT FRA

 19 181ASKEY Lewis ' ' GFC GBR

 20 195PORTER Rudy '