Spain's Javier Romo swept to his first UCI World Tour victory on the back of a daring attack to win the third stage and take the lead in the Tour Down Under on Thursday.
Romo (Movistar Team) grabbed the winning break with an attack after the final hill climb, five kilometres from the finish in Uraidla, and held on for a comfortable win to grab the leader's ochre jersey with three stages left in the World Tour season opener.
The Spaniard had time to celebrate his win as he crossed the line five seconds ahead of the fast-charging Colombian Jhonatan Narvaex (UAE Team Emirates) and New Zealander Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
🇪🇸 JAVIER ROMO OLIVER 🇪🇸
— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 23, 2025
Here are your @garmin race results 👉 https://t.co/22zYKnAW3c
#TourDownUnder @efex_IT @SantosLtd @Movistar_Team pic.twitter.com/zDVtKUmEWm
Romo holds an eight-second lead over Narvaez, with Austria's Patrick Konrad third heading into Friday's 157.2 km fourth stage to Victor Harbour.
"It's so important for me. After this winter I worked a lot for the Tour Down Under. I can imagine this day," Romo said.
"I am so happy, I want to say thank you to my team, because today was very good for me. In the last kilometre I knew the victory was mine."
🗣️ « It’s so important, for me, for my family, for my team. I can’t believe it »
— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 23, 2025
- 🇪🇸 @romoliver_99
🎤 The first words from today’s @efex_IT Stage 3 winner ⤵️
📺 Stream the race now on 7plus: https://t.co/k2Exq3FDwl@efex_IT | @santosltd#TourDownUnder #CouchPeloton pic.twitter.com/TqaGcvN6r0
It was a day for the climbers after the opening two sprint stages, with overnight race leader Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finishing 108th in the arduous stage to lie 105th overall, some 12.3 seconds behind new leader Romo.
Defending champion Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech) hobbled back on his bike after a nasty crash in the feed zone and worked through the peloton before finishing 28th and 23rd overall, some 35 seconds behind the lead halfway through the tour.
He will be assessed by the team's medical staff.
Spaniard Martin Lopez (XDS Astana) also came to grief in a crash 15km from the finish, hitting the tarmac head first, abandoning the race and taken to hospital for checks.
Fergus Browning (ARA Australian Team) continued his breakout tour success by extending his lead in the King of the Mountain to 43 points after taking two of the three KOM stages on Thursday.
STAGE 3 WINNERS
1. Javier Romo (ESP) Movistar Team 3:46:01
2. Jhonatan Narváez (ECU) UAE Team Emirates - XRG +5
3. Finn Fisher-Black (NZL) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe "
4. Albert Philipsen (DEN) Lidl - Trek "
5. Thomas Gloag (GBR) Team Visma - Lease a Bike "
6. Patrick Konrad (AUT) Lidl - Trek "
7. Andrea Bagioli (ITA) Lidl - Trek "
8. Bastien Tronchon (FRA) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team "
9. Rémy Rochas (FRA) Groupama - FDJ "
10. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers "
11. Lucas Plapp (AUS) Team Jayco AlUla "
12. Sergio Higuita (COL) XDS Astana Team "
13. Jay Vine (AUS) UAE Team Emirates - XRG "
14. Juan Pedro López (ESP) Lidl - Trek "
15. Afonso Eulálio (POR) Bahrain Victorious "
16. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jayco AlUla "
17. Oscar Onley (GBR) Team Picnic PostNL "
18. Bauke Mollema (NED) Lidl - Trek "
19. Mauro Schmid (SUI) Team Jayco AlUla +21
20. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) INEOS Grenadiers +25
OVERALL LEADERS
1. Javier Romo (ESP) Movistar Team 10:13:51
2. Jhonatan Narváez (ECU) UAE Team Emirates - XRG +8
3. Patrick Konrad (AUT) Lidl - Trek +10
4. Finn Fisher-Black (NZL) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe "
5. Bastien Tronchon (FRA) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team +12
6. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers +15
7. Albert Philipsen (DEN) Lidl - Trek "
8. Jay Vine (AUS) UAE Team Emirates - XRG "
9. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jayco AlUla "
10. Andrea Bagioli (ITA) Lidl - Trek "
11. Rémy Rochas (FRA) Groupama - FDJ "
12. Oscar Onley (GBR) Team Picnic PostNL "
13. Sergio Higuita (COL) XDS Astana Team "
14. Juan Pedro López (ESP) Lidl - Trek "
15. Thomas Gloag (GBR) Team Visma - Lease a Bike "
16. Bauke Mollema (NED) Lidl - Trek "
17. Lucas Plapp (AUS) Team Jayco AlUla "
18. Afonso Eulálio (POR) Bahrain Victorious "
19. Georg Zimmermann (GER) Intermarché - Wanty +30
20. Zac Marriage (AUS) Australia "