In the final kilometre of stage three of the 2026 Tour Down Under, everything was still on the line. Noemi Rüegg of EF Education-Oatly, the defending champion, was present, but vastly outnumbered. She had fought to stay with three UAE Team ADQ riders – Mavi García, Dominika Włodarczyk, and Paula Blasi – over the final ascent of the Corkscrew climb, but there was still an imbalance.
Rüegg, thanks to bonus seconds, only needed to finish with the group to win the race overall, but it was not an easy assignment, especially after a testing time in the kilometres leading up to this point.
With the three UAE riders looking spent after their afternoon of attacking riding, Rüegg was able to sprint to a clear victory in Campbelltown, looking every inch the deserving winner.
Rüegg and EF Education-Oatly mean business
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There isn’t much of a better way to announce your arrival as a Women’s WorldTour team as winning a race at the first opportunity, but that’s what EF Education-Oatly did, through Noemi Rüegg.
The Swiss rider timed her sprint to perfection in the end to defend the ochre jersey, but her being there was thanks to the stellar work of her teammates in Australia: Henrietta Christie, Magdeleine Vallieres, Stina Kagevi and Alice Towers. Vallieres, the world champion, put the team in front of any ambitions she had to star on stage three, and it paid off handsomely.
The American team is young, and full of talent, and their year is off to a flyer. Expect them to continue with their aggressive riding through the season, and keep your eyes on them – they’re hard to miss anyway, in that pink.
Canadian cycling is in rude health
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Vallieres is world champion and helped her teammate to victory, but there was another Canadian who impressed on stage three: Visma-Lease a Bike’s Sarah Van Dam, who, in her first race for her new Dutch team, finished fifth overall after briefly looking like a potential winner.
The 24-year-old raced for CERATIZIT last year, and hardly went beneath the radar, finishing third overall at Itzulia Women and fifth at the Tour of Britain Women. However, Van Dam showed how she is one to watch in 2026 Down Under, at the front of the race on the Corkscrew.
While Visma remain led by Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Van Dam will offer another option for the Dutch squad this season.
Wollaston continues to be more than a pure sprinter
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Stage one played out exactly how FDJ United-SUEZ wanted it, with Ally Wollaston dominantly sprinting to victory after a flat day. However, the Kiwi’s win on stage two reminded all that she is more than a pure sprinter, with a stage win after 2,000m of climbing.
The 25-year-old has form, winning the Tour of Britain Women last year, but with two victories to kickstart her 2026, expect her to challenge at a variety of races this season. Wollaston seems strong on tough days, so could well be an option when the Classics come around.
FDJ United-SUEZ, meanwhile, look to have real strength in depth across the team.
Australia left empty-handed again
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For the second successive year, there was no Australian winner at the Tour Down Under. In fact, the second successive year that there was no Australian in the top-three on any stage either.
Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), in her retirement year, finished seventh overall, but the next best Australian was Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) in 20th.
For Liv AlUla Jayco in particular, the lack of success at their home race must sting. Australian riders should have the advantage, given the TDU comes in their summer, on their roads, and after their National Championships.
The nation that produced Spratt, Grace Brown and Chloe Hosking, and more recently Neve Bradbury and Sarah Gigante, will have to wait another year for a win.
Josie Nelson points way forward for Picnic
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Picnic PostNL had a major reshuffle ahead of 2026, losing Marta Cavalli to retirement, and Charlotte Kool, Franzi Koch, Megan Jastrab, Francesco Barale and Nienke Vinke to other teams.
However, they left their first race of the season reasonably happy, with two podium finishes through Josie Nelson, and 12th overall too. The 23-year-old is already into her third season with the Dutch team, but showed signs last year that she was close to a big result, which has continued this year.
The rider from Lichfield is something of an all-rounder, and will work well alongside fellow Brit Pfeiffer Georgi. As a relatively inexperienced team, Picnic PostNL will use the early-season success to keep them rolling on, and hope that Nelson will break through to victory.
