Cycling · International
Watson takes opening Tour Down Under prologue
The British champion averaged 50.7 kilometres per hour on Adelaide’s short course.
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Samuel Watson won the Tour Down Under prologue on Adelaide’s streets and became the first overall leader of the men’s race. The INEOS Grenadiers rider completed the course in four minutes and 16.9 seconds after starting eleventh among the 140 entrants.
The British national champion averaged 50.7 kilometres per hour. Ethan Vernon and Laurence Pithie were the only other riders to exceed 50 kilometres per hour, while Jay Vine finished fourth as the highest placed Australian.
Michael Leonard secured the young rider jersey with thirteenth place. Although the prologue was not counted as a numbered stage, its times entered the general classification, giving Watson a useful advantage before the first road stage in Tanunda.
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